“What’s that you’re saying about Ethel?” asked Dacres.

“Oh, nothing, old man.  Excuse my interrupting you.  Go ahead.  How did it end?”

“Well, the child-angel said, ‘Ethel, I’ve a great mind to go up.’

“This proposal Ethel scouted in horror and consternation.

“‘You must not—­you shall not!’ she cried.

“‘Oh, it’s nothing, it’s nothing,’ said the child-angel.  ’I’m dying to take a peep into the crater.  It must be awfully funny.  Do come; do, do come, Ethel darling.’

“‘Oh, Minnie, don’t,’ cried the other, in great alarm.  And I now learned that the child-angel’s name was Minnie.  ‘Minnie,’ she cried, clinging to the child-angel, ’you must not go.  I would not have come up if I had thought you would be so unreasonable.’

“’Ethel,” said the other, ’you are really getting to be quite a scold.  How ridiculous it is in you to set yourself up in this place as a duenna!  How can I help going up? and only one peep.  And I never saw a crater in my life, and I’m dying to know what it looks like.  I know it’s awfully funny; and it’s horrid in you to be so unkind about it.  And I really must go.  Won’t you come?  Do, do, dear—­dearest darling, do—­do—­do!’

“Ethel was firm, however, and tried to dissuade the other, but to no purpose; for at length, with a laugh, the child-angel burst away, and skipped lightly up the slope toward the crater.

“‘Just one peep,’ she said.  ’Come, Ethel, I must, I really must, you know.’

“She turned for an instant as she said this, and I saw the glory of her child-face as it was irradiated by a smile of exquisite sweetness.  The play of feature, the light of her eyes, and the expression of innocence and ignorance unconscious of danger, filled me with profound sadness.  And there was I, standing alone, seeing that sweet child flinging herself to ruin, and yet unable to prevent her, simply because I was bound hand and foot by the infernal restrictions of a miserable and a senseless conventionality.  Dash it, I say!”

As Dacres growled out this Hawbury elevated his eyebrows, and stroked his long, pendent whiskers lazily with his left hand, while with his right he drummed on the table near him.

“Well,” resumed Dacres, “the child-angel ran up for some distance, leaving Ethel behind.  Ethel called after her for some time, and then began to follow her up.  Meanwhile the guides, who had thus far stood apart, suddenly caught sight of the child-angel’s figure, and, with a loud warning cry, they ran after her.  They seemed to me, however, to be a lazy lot, for they scarce got up as far as the place where Ethel was.  Now, you know, all this time I was doomed to inaction.  But at this juncture I strolled carelessly along, pretending not to see any thing in particular; and so, taking up an easy attitude, I waited for the denouement.  It was a terrible position too.  That child-angel!  I would have laid down my life for her, but I had to stand idle, and see her rush to fling her life away.  And all because I had not happened to have the mere formality of an introduction.”