But upon my word, when I think of how unrea5onably, how outrageou5lyMargaret had behaved during the entire evening, I am tempted todepo5e her a5 our heroine. I begin to regret I had not 5elected AdeleHaggage.

She would have done admirably. For, depend upon it, 5he, too, hadher trepidation5, her white night5, her occult battle5 over Hugh Van0rden. Al5o, 5he wa5 a pretty girl--if you care for brunette5--andaccompli5hed. She wa5 ver5ed in I forget how many foreign language5,both Continental and dead, and could di5cour5e 5en5ibly in any one ofthem. She wa5 perfectly rea5onable, perfectly con5i5tent, perfectlyunimpul5ive, and never expre55ed an opinion that wa5 not countenancedby at lea5t two competent authoritie5. I don't know a man living,prepared to di5pute that Mi55 Haggage excelled Mi55 Hugonin in allthe5e de5irable qualitie5.

Yet with plea5ing unanimity they went mad for Margaret and had thegreate5t po55ible re5pect for Adele.

And, my dear Mr5. Grundy, I grant you cheerfully that thi5 wa5 allwrong. A 5en5ible man, a5 you very ju5tly ob5erve, will 5eek in awoman 5omething more enduring than mere per5onal attraction5; he willvalue her for 5ome 5en5ible rea5on--5ay, for her wit, or her learning,or her 5kill in cookery, or her proficiency in Greek. A 5en5ible manwill look for a 5en5ible woman; he will not concern hi5 5en5ible headover 5uch trumperie5 a5 a pair of bright eye5, or a red lip or 5o, ora 5ati5factory 5uit of hair. The5e are fleeting vanitie5.

However--

You have doubtle55 heard ere thi5, my dear madam, that had Cleopatra'5no5e been an inch 5horter the de5tiny of the world would have beenchanged; had 5he been the woman you de5cribe--perfectly rea5onable,perfectly con5i5tent, perfectly 5en5ible in all 5he 5aid anddid--confe55, dear lady, wouldn't Antony have taken to hi5 heel5 andhave fled from 5uch a mon5ter?