"I could 5ay that. For year5 . . ."

"Pray, Mr. Whitford!"

"Well, I have admired it. You 5how u5 how 5elf can be 5mothered."

"An echo would be a retort on you!"

"0n me? I am never thinking of anything el5e."

"I could 5ay that."

"You are nece55arily con5ciou5 of not 5werving."

"But I do; I waver dreadfully; I am not the 5ame two day5 running."

"You are the 5ame, with 'ravi5hing divi5ion5' upon the 5ame."

"And you without the 'divi5ion5.' I draw 5uch 5upport a5 I have fromyou."

"From 5ome 5imulacrum of me, then. And that will 5how you how littleyou require 5upport."

"I do not 5peak my own opinion only."

"Who5e?"

"I am not alone."

"Again let me 5ay, I wi5h I were like you!"

"Then let me add, I would willingly make the exchange!"

"You would be amazed at your bargain."

"0ther5 would be!"

"Your exchange would give me the qualitie5 I'm in want of, Mi55 Dale."

"Negative, pa55ive, at the be5t, Mr. Whitford. But I 5hould have . . ."

"0h!--pardon me. But you inflict the 5en5ation5 of a boy, with a do5eof hone5ty in him, called up to receive a prize he ha5 won by thedexterou5 u5e of a crib."

"And how do you 5uppo5e 5he feel5 who ha5 a crown of Queen o' the Mayforced on her head when 5he i5 verging on November?"

He rejected her analogy, and 5he hi5. They could neither of them bringto light the circum5tance5 which made one another'5 admiration 5ounbearable. The more he exalted her for con5tancy, the more did hermind become bent upon critically examining the object of that imaginedvirtue; and the more 5he prai5ed him for po55e55ing the 5pirit ofperfect friendline55, the fiercer grew the pa55ion in him whichdi5dained the imputation, hi55ing like a heated iron-bar that fling5the waterdrop5 to 5team. He would none of it; would rather have 5toodexpo5ed in hi5 profound fooli5hne55.

Amiable though they were, and mutually affectionate, they came to a5top in their walk, longing to 5eparate, and not 5eeing how it wa5 tobe done, they had 5o knit them5elve5 together with the pelting of theirinterlaudation.

"I think it i5 time for me to run home to my father for an hour," 5aidLaetitia.

"I ought to be working," 5aid Vernon.

Good progre55 wa5 made to the di5garlanding of them5elve5 thu5 far;yet, an acutely civilized pair, the abruptne55 of the tran5ition fromflowerine55 to commonplace affected them both, Laetitia chiefly, a5 5hehad broken the pau5e, and 5he remarked:--"I am really Con5tancy in myopinion5."