Her voice softened.  She laid her hand upon my arm.  How, under her touch, I burned.

’But I don’t understand what cause there has been for secrecy,—­ why should there have been any secrecy from the first?’

‘It was Paul’s wish that papa should not be told.’

‘Is Mr Lessingham ashamed of you?’

‘Sydney!’

‘Or does he fear your father?’

’You are unkind.  You know perfectly well that papa has been prejudiced against him all along, you know that his political position is just now one of the greatest difficulty, that every nerve and muscle is kept on the continual strain, that it is in the highest degree essential that further complications of every and any sort should be avoided.  He is quite aware that his suit will not be approved of by papa, and he simply wishes that nothing shall be said about it till the end of the session,—­that is all’

’I see!  Mr Lessingham is cautious even in love-making,—­politician first, and lover afterwards.’

’Well!—­why not?—­would you have him injure the cause he has at heart for want of a little patience?’

‘It depends what cause it is he has at heart.’

’What is the matter with you?—­why do you speak to me like that?—­ it is not like you at all.’  She looked at me shrewdly, with flashing eyes.  ’Is it possible that you are—­jealous?—­that you were in earnest in what you said last night?—­I thought that was the sort of thing you said to every girl.’

I would have given a great deal to take her in my arms, and press her to my bosom then and there,—­to think that she should taunt me with having said to her the sort of thing I said to every girl.

‘What do you know of Mr Lessingham?’

‘What all the world knows,—­that history will be made by him.’

’There are kinds of history in the making of which one would not desire to be associated.  What do you know of his private life,—­it was to that that I was referring.’

’Really,—­you go too far.  I know that he is one of the best, just as he is one of the greatest, of men; for me, that is sufficient.’

‘If you do know that, it is sufficient.’

’I do know it,—­all the world knows it.  Everyone with whom he comes in contact is aware—­must be aware, that he is incapable of a dishonourable thought or action.’

’Take my advice, don’t appreciate any man too highly.  In the book of every man’s life there is a page which he would wish to keep turned down.’

’There is no such page in Paul’s,—­there may be in yours; I think that probable.’

’Thank you.  I fear it is more than probable.  I fear that, in my case, the page may extend to several.  There is nothing Apostolic about me,—­not even the name.’

’Sydney!—­you are unendurable!—­It is the more strange to hear you talk like this since Paul regards you as his friend.’

‘He flatters me.’