“I cannot answer that,—­though I know them well enough to be sure that Chiltern was the one in fault.”

“It is so odd that you should have thrown your brother over.”

“I have not thrown my brother over.  Will you accept Oswald if he asks you again?”

“No,” almost shouted Violet.

“Then I hope that Mr. Finn may succeed.  I want him to succeed in everything.  There;—­you may know it all.  He is my Phoebus Apollo.”

“That is flattering to me,—­looking at the position in which you desire to place your Phoebus at the present moment.”

“Come, Violet, I am true to you, and let me have a little truth from you.  This man loves you, and I think is worthy of you.  He does not love me, but he is my friend.  As his friend, and believing in his worth, I wish for his success beyond almost anything else in the world.  Listen to me, Violet.  I don’t believe in those reasons which you gave me just now for not becoming this man’s wife.”

“Nor do I.”

“I know you do not.  Look at me.  I, who have less of real heart than you, I who thought that I could trust myself to satisfy my mind and my ambition without caring for my heart, I have married for what you call position.  My husband is very rich, and a Cabinet Minister, and will probably be a peer.  And he was willing to marry me at a time when I had not a shilling of my own.”

“He was very generous.”

“He has asked for it since,” said Lady Laura.  “But never mind.  I have not come to talk about myself;—­otherwise than to bid you not do what I have done.  All that you have said about this man’s want of money and of family is nothing.”

“Nothing at all,” said Violet.  “Mere words,—­fit only for such people as my aunt.”

“Well then?”

“Well?”

“If you love him—!”

“Ah! but if I do not?  You are very close in inquiring into my secrets.  Tell me, Laura;—­was not this young Crichton once a lover of your own?”

“Psha!  And do you think I cannot keep a gentleman’s secret as well as you?”

“What is the good of any secret, Laura, when we have been already so open?  He tried his ’prentice hand on you; and then he came to me.  Let us watch him, and see who’ll be the third.  I too like him well enough to hope that he’ll land himself safely at last.”

CHAPTER XLVI

The Mousetrap

Phineas had certainly no desire to make love by an ambassador,—­at second-hand.  He had given no commission to Lady Laura, and was, as the reader is aware, quite ignorant of what was being done and said on his behalf.  He had asked no more from Lady Laura than an opportunity of speaking for himself, and that he had asked almost with a conviction that by so asking he would turn his friend into an enemy.  He had read but little of the workings of Lady Laura’s heart towards himself, and had no idea of the assistance she was anxious to give