"I think you should know how I know it," the young man laughed.

"I suppose Miss Fancourt told you."

"No indeed--she led me rather to suppose you had."

"Yes--that's much more what she'd do. Doesn't she shed a rosy glow over
life? But you didn't believe her?" asked St. George.

"No, not when you came to us there."

"Did I pretend? did I pretend badly?" But without waiting for an answer
to this St. George went on: "You ought always to believe such a girl as
that--always, always. Some women are meant to be taken with allowances
and reserves; but you must take _her_ just as she is."

"I like her very much," said Paul Overt.

Something in his tone appeared to excite on his companion's part a
momentary sense of the absurd; perhaps it was the air of deliberation
attending this judgement. St. George broke into a laugh to reply. "It's
the best thing you can do with her. She's a rare young lady! In point
of fact, however, I confess I hadn't read you this afternoon."

"Then you see how right I was in this particular case not to believe Miss
Fancourt."

"How right? how can I agree to that when I lost credit by it?"

"Do you wish to pass exactly for what she represents you? Certainly you
needn't be afraid," Paul said.

"Ah, my dear young man, don't talk about passing--for the likes of me!
I'm passing away--nothing else than that. She has a better use for her
young imagination (isn't it fine?) than in 'representing' in any way such
a weary wasted used-up animal!" The Master spoke with a sudden sadness
that produced a protest on Paul's part; but before the protest could be
uttered he went on, reverting to the latter's striking novel: "I had no
idea you were so good--one hears of so many things. But you're
surprisingly good."

"I'm going to be surprisingly better," Overt made bold to reply.

"I see that, and it's what fetches me. I don't see so much else--as one
looks about--that's going to be surprisingly better. They're going to be
consistently worse--most of the things. It's so much easier to be
worse--heaven knows I've found it so. I'm not in a great glow, you know,
about what's breaking out all over the place. But you _must_ be
better--you really must keep it up. I haven't of course. It's very
difficult--that's the devil of the whole thing, keeping it up. But I see
you'll be able to. It will be a great disgrace if you don't."

"It's very interesting to hear you speak of yourself; but I don't k