“Have it so, if you like,” returned the good-natured fellow.  “It’s worth while consulting her, just to see how neatly she’ll take it.  Bless your heart, she won’t know a bit more than you want her to know.  I’m off to her now.”  He carried away the letter.

Edward’s own practical judgement would have advised his instantly sending a short reply to Robert, explaining that he was simply in conversation with the man Sedgett, when Robert, the old enemy of the latter, rode by, and, that while regretting Sedgett’s proceedings, he could not be held accountable for them.  But it was useless to think of acting in accordance with his reason.  Mrs. Lovell was queen, and sat in reason’s place.  It was absolutely necessary to conciliate her approbation of his conduct in this dilemma, by submitting to the decided unpleasantness of talking with her on a subject that fevered him, and of allowing her to suppose he required the help of her sagacity.  Such was the humiliation imposed upon him.  Further than this he had nothing to fear, for no woman could fail to be overborne by the masculine force of his brain in an argument.  The humiliation was bad enough, and half tempted him to think that his old dream of working as a hard student, with fair and gentle Dahlia ministering to his comforts, and too happy to call herself his, was best.  Was it not, after one particular step had been taken, the manliest life he could have shaped out?  Or did he imagine it so at this moment, because he was a coward, and because pride, and vanity, and ferocity alternately had to screw him up to meet the consequences of his acts, instead of the great heart?

If a coward, Dahlia was his home, his refuge, his sanctuary.  Mrs. Lovell was perdition and its scorching fires to a man with a taint of cowardice in him.

Whatever he was, Edward’s vanity would not permit him to acknowledge himself that.  Still, he did not call on his heart to play inspiriting music.  His ideas turned to subterfuge.  His aim was to keep the good opinion of Mrs. Lovell while he quieted Robert; and he entered straightway upon that very perilous course, the attempt, for the sake of winning her, to bewilder and deceive a woman’s instincts.

CHAPTER XXIII

Over a fire in one of the upper sitting-rooms of the Pilot Inn, Robert sat with his friend, the beloved friend of whom he used to speak to Dahlia and Rhoda, too proudly not to seem betraying the weaker point of pride.  This friend had accepted the title from a private soldier of his regiment; to be capable of doing which, a man must be both officer and gentleman in a sterner and less liberal sense than is expressed by that everlasting phrase in the mouth of the military parrot.  Major Percy Waring, the son of a clergyman, was a working soldier, a slayer, if you will, from pure love of the profession of arms, and all the while the sweetest and gentlest of men.  I call him