She certainly had at times the look of the nymph that has gazed too long on the faun, and has unwittingly copied his lurking lip and long sliding eye.  Her play with young Crossjay resembled a return of the lady to the cat; she flung herself into it as if her real vitality had been in suspense till she saw the boy.  Sir Willoughby by no means disapproved of a physical liveliness that promised him health in his mate; but he began to feel in their conversations that she did not sufficiently think of making herself a nest for him.  Steely points were opposed to him when he, figuratively, bared his bosom to be taken to the softest and fairest.  She reasoned:  in other words, armed her ignorance.  She reasoned against him publicly, and lured Vernon to support her.  Influence is to be counted for power, and her influence over Vernon was displayed in her persuading him to dance one evening at Lady Culmer’s, after his melancholy exhibitions of himself in the art; and not only did she persuade him to stand up fronting her, she manoeuvred him through the dance like a clever boy cajoling a top to come to him without reeling, both to Vernon’s contentment and to Sir Willoughby’s; for he was the last man to object to a manifestation of power in his bride.  Considering her influence with Vernon, he renewed the discourse upon young Crossjay; and, as he was addicted to system, he took her into his confidence, that she might be taught to look to him and act for him.

“Old Vernon has not spoken to you again of that lad?” he said.

“Yes, Mr. Whitford has asked me.”

“He does not ask me, my dear!”

“He may fancy me of greater aid than I am.”

“You see, my love, if he puts Crossjay on me, he will be off.  He has this craze for ‘enlisting’ his pen in London, as he calls it; and I am accustomed to him; I don’t like to think of him as a hack scribe, writing nonsense from dictation to earn a pitiful subsistence; I want him here; and, supposing he goes, he offends me; he loses a friend; and it will not be the first time that a friend has tried me too far; but if he offends me, he is extinct.”

“Is what?” cried Clara, with a look of fright.

“He becomes to me at once as if he had never been.  He is extinct.”

“In spite of your affection?”

“On account of it, I might say.  Our nature is mysterious, and mine as much so as any.  Whatever my regrets, he goes out.  This is not a language I talk to the world.  I do the man no harm; I am not to be named unchristian.  But . . . !”

Sir Willoughby mildly shrugged, and indicated a spreading out of the arms.

“But do, do talk to me as you talk to the world, Willoughby; give me some relief!”

“My own Clara, we are one.  You should know me at my worst, we will say, if you like, as well as at my best.”

“Should I speak too?”

“What could you have to confess?”

She hung silent; the wave of an insane resolution swelled in her bosom and subsided before she said, “Cowardice, incapacity to speak.”