A day later, Mrs. Lovell said to him:  “Have you heard of that unfortunate young man?  I am told that he lies in great danger from a blow on the back of his head.  He looked ill when I saw him, and however mad he may be, I’m sorry harm should have come to one who is really brave.  Gentle means are surely best.  It is so with horses, it must be so with men.  As to women, I don’t pretend to unriddle them.”

“Gentle means are decidedly best,” said Edward, perceiving that her little dog Algy had carried news to her, and that she was setting herself to fathom him.  “You gave an eminent example of it yesterday.  I was so sure of the result that I didn’t bet against you.”

“Why not have backed me?”

The hard young legal face withstood the attack of her soft blue eyes, out of which a thousand needles flew, seeking a weak point in the mask.

“The compliment was, to incite you to a superhuman effort.”

“Then why not pay the compliment?”

“I never pay compliments to transparent merit; I do not hold candles to lamps.”

“True,” said she.

“And as gentle means are so admirable, it would be as well to stop incision and imbruing between those two boys.”

“Which?” she asked innocently.

“Suckling and Algy.”

“Is it possible?  They are such boys.”

“Exactly of the kind to do it.  Don’t you know?” and Edward explained elaborately and cruelly the character of the boys who rushed into conflicts.  Colour deep as evening red confused her cheeks, and she said, “We must stop them.”

“Alas!” he shook his head; “if it’s not too late.”

“It never is too late.”

“Perhaps not, when the embodiment of gentle means is so determined.”

“Come; I believe they are in the billiard room now, and you shall see,” she said.

The pair were found in the billiard room, even as a pair of terriers that remember a bone.  Mrs. Lovell proposed a game, and offered herself for partner to Lord Suckling.

“Till total defeat do us part,” the young nobleman acquiesced; and total defeat befell them.  During the play of the balls, Mrs. Lovell threw a jealous intentness of observation upon all the strokes made by Algernon; saying nothing, but just looking at him when he did a successful thing.  She winked at some quiet stately betting that went on between him and Lord Suckling.

They were at first preternaturally polite and formal toward one another; by degrees, the influence at work upon them was manifested in a thaw of their stiff demeanour, and they fell into curt dialogues, which Mrs. Lovell gave herself no concern to encourage too early.

Edward saw, and was astonished himself to feel that she had ceased to breathe that fatal inciting breath, which made men vindictively emulous of her favour, and mad to match themselves for a claim to the chief smile.  No perceptible change was displayed.  She was Mrs. Lovell still; vivacious and soft; flame-coloured, with the arrowy eyelashes; a pleasant companion, who did not play the woman obtrusively among men, and show a thirst for homage.  All the difference appeared to be, that there was an absence as of some evil spiritual emanation.