“Of course I don’t care,” he said, “only it seems to me that you are making a fool of yourself.”

“I thought you wanted to get rid of her.”

“She’s nothing on earth to me; only it does, you know—­”

“Does do what?” asked Cradell.

“Why, if I was to be fal-lalling with that married woman, you wouldn’t like it.  That’s all about it.  Do you mean to marry her?”

“What!—­Amelia?”

“Yes; Amelia.”

“Not if I know it.”

“Then if I were you I would leave her alone.  She’s only making a fool of you.”

Eames’s advice may have been good, and the view taken by him of Amelia’s proceedings may have been correct; but as regarded his own part in the affair, he was not wise.  Miss Roper, no doubt, wished to make him jealous; and she succeeded in the teeth of his aversion to her and of his love elsewhere.  He had no desire to say soft things to Miss Roper.  Miss Roper, with all her skill, could not extract a word pleasantly soft from him once a week.  But, nevertheless, soft words to her and from her in another quarter made him uneasy.  Such being the case, must we not acknowledge that John Eames was still floundering in the ignorance of his hobbledehoyhood?

The Lupexes at this time still held their ground in the Crescent, although repeated warnings to go had been given them.  Mrs Roper, though she constantly spoke of sacrificing all that they owed her, still hankered, with a natural hankering, after her money.  And as each warning was accompanied by a demand for payment, and usually produced some slight subsidy on account, the thing went on from week to week; and at the beginning of April Mr and Mrs Lupex were still boarders at Mrs Roper’s house.

Eames had heard nothing from Allington since the time of his Christmas visit, and his subsequent correspondence with Lord De Guest.  In his letters from his mother he was told that game came frequently from Guestwick Manor, and in this way he knew that he was not forgotten by the earl.  But of Lily he had heard not a word,—­except, indeed, the rumour, which had now become general, that the Dales from the Small House were about to move themselves into Guestwick.  When first he learned this he construed the tidings as favourable to himself, thinking that Lily, removed from the grandeur of Allington, might possibly be more easily within his reach; but, latterly, he had given up any such hope as that, and was telling himself that his friend at the Manor had abandoned all idea of making up the marriage.  Three months had already elapsed since his visit.  Five months had passed since Crosbie had surrendered his claim.  Surely such a knave as Crosbie might be forgotten in five months!  If any steps could have been taken through the squire, surely three months would have sufficed for them!  It was very manifest to him that there was no ground of hope for him at Allington, and it would certainly be well for him to go off to Australia.  He would go to Australia, but he would thrash Cradell first for having dared to interfere with Amelia Roper.  That, generally, was the state of his mind during the first week in April.