seems, Marsett had sworn he would; amorous vow, you know; he never came nearer to doing it.  I hope it’s his better mind now; I do hope the man won’t have cause to regret it.  He speaks of Nesta—­sort of rustic tone of awe.  Mrs. Marsett has impressed him.  He expects the title soon, will leave the army—­the poor plucked British army, as you call it!—­and lead the life of a country squire:  hunting!  Well, it’s not only the army, it’s over Great Britain, with this infernal wealth of ours!—­and all for pleasure—­eh?—­or Paradise lost for a sugar plum!  Eh, Dartrey?  Upon my word, it appears to me, Esau’s the Englishman, Jacob the German, of these times.  I wonder old Colney hasn’t said it.  If we’re not plucked, as your regiments are of the officers who have learnt their work, we’re emasculated:—­the nation’s half made-up of the idle and the servants of the idle.’

’Ay, and your country squires and your manufacturers contrive to give the army a body of consumptive louts fit for nothing else than to take the shilling—­and not worth it,’ said Dartrey.

‘Sounds like old Colney,’ Victor remarked to himself.  ’But, believe me, I’m ashamed of the number of servants who wait on me.  It wouldn’t so much matter, as Skepsey says, if they were trained to arms and self-respect.  That little fellow Skepsey’s closer to the right notion, and the right practice, too, than any of us.  With his Matilda Pridden!  He has jumped out of himself to the proper idea of women, too.  And there’s a man who has been up three times before the magistrates, and is considered a disorderly subject—­one among the best of English citizens, I declare!  I never think of Skepsey without the most extraordinary, witless kind of envy—­as if he were putting in action an idea I once had and never quite got hold of again.  The match for him is Fredi.  She threatens to be just as devoted, just as simple, as he.  I positively doubt whether any of us could stop her, if she had set herself to do a thing she thought right.’

‘I should not like to think our trying it possible,’ said Dartrey.

’All very well, but it’s a rock ahead.  We shall have to alter our course, my friend.  You know, I dined with that couple, after the private twenty minutes with Marsett:  he formally propounded the invitation, as we were close on his hour, rather late:  and I wanted to make the woman happy, besides putting a seal of cordiality on his good intentions—­ politic!  And subsequently I heard from her, that—­you’ll think nothing of it!—­Fredi promised to stand by her at the altar.’

Dartrey said, shrugging:  ‘She needn’t do that.’

’So we may say.  You’re dealing with Nesta Victoria.  Spare me a contest with that girl, I undertake to manage any man or woman living.’

‘When the thing to be done is thought right by her.’

‘But can we always trust her judgement, my dear Dartrey?’

’In this case, she would argue, that her resolution to keep her promise would bind or help to bind Marsett to fulfil his engagement.’