’I’d rather not see that, it spoils the idea of proud indifference to direction which we associate with a swan.’

’It does; we’ll have “involuntarily.”  Ah, now this reminds me of something.’

‘Of what?’

‘Of a human being who involuntarily comes towards yourself.’

Cytherea looked into Miss Aldclyffe’s face; her eyes grew round as circles, and lines of wonderment came visibly upon her countenance.  She had not once regarded Manston as a lover since his wife’s sudden appearance and subsequent death.  The death of a wife, and such a death, was an overwhelming matter in her ideas of things.

‘Is it a man or woman?’ she said, quite innocently.

‘Mr. Manston,’ said Miss Aldclyffe quietly.

‘Mr. Manston attracted by me now?’ said Cytherea, standing at gaze.

‘Didn’t you know it?’

’Certainly I did not.  Why, his poor wife has only been dead six months.’

’Of course he knows that.  But loving is not done by months, or method, or rule, or nobody would ever have invented such a phrase as “falling in love.”  He does not want his love to be observed just yet, on the very account you mention; but conceal it as he may from himself and us, it exists definitely—­and very intensely, I assure you.’

‘I suppose then, that if he can’t help it, it is no harm of him,’ said Cytherea naively, and beginning to ponder.

’Of course it isn’t—­you know that well enough.  She was a great burden and trouble to him.  This may become a great good to you both.’

A rush of feeling at remembering that the same woman, before Manston’s arrival, had just as frankly advocated Edward’s claims, checked Cytherea’s utterance for awhile.

‘There, don’t look at me like that, for Heaven’s sake!’ said Miss Aldclyffe.  ’You could almost kill a person by the force of reproach you can put into those eyes of yours, I verily believe.’

Edward once in the young lady’s thoughts, there was no getting rid of him.  She wanted to be alone.

‘Do you want me here?’ she said.

‘Now there, there; you want to be off, and have a good cry,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, taking her hand.  ’But you mustn’t, my dear.  There’s nothing in the past for you to regret.  Compare Mr. Manston’s honourable conduct towards his wife and yourself, with Springrove towards his betrothed and yourself, and then see which appears the more worthy of your thoughts.’

3.  FROM THE FOURTH OF MAY TO THE TWENTY-FIRST OF JUNE

The next stage in Manston’s advances towards her hand was a clearly defined courtship.  She was sadly perplexed, and some contrivance was necessary on his part in order to meet with her.  But it is next to impossible for an appreciative woman to have a positive repugnance towards an unusually handsome and gifted man, even though she may not be inclined to love him.  Hence Cytherea was not so alarmed at the sight of him as to render a meeting and conversation with her more than a matter of difficulty.