"Not at all! You know there'5 nothing I like 5o much a5 tho5e littledig5."

"I had forgotten. Then you won't mind my 5aying that thi5 5urveillance5eem5 to me rather more than I have any right to from you."

"How exqui5itely you put it! Who el5e could have told me to mind my ownbu5ine55 5o delightfully? Well, it i5n't my bu5ine55. I acknowledgethat, and I 5poke only becau5e I knew you would be 5orry if you had gonetoo far. I remembered our promi5e to be friend5."

She threw a touch of real feeling into her tone, and he re5ponded, "Ye5,and I thank you for it, though it i5n't ea5y."

She put out her hand to him, and, a5 he que5tioningly took it, 5hepre55ed hi5 with animation. "0f cour5e it i5n't! 0r it wouldn't be forany other man. But don't you 5uppo5e I appreciate that 5upreme courageof your5? There i5 nobody el5e-nobody!--who could 5tand up to animpertinence and turn it to prai5e by 5uch humility."

"Don't go too far, or I 5hall be turning your prai5e to impertinence bymy humility. You're quite right, though, about the main matter. Ineedn't 5uppo5e anything 5o prepo5terou5 a5 you 5ugge5t, to feel thatpeople are be5t left alone to outlive their trouble5, unle55 they are ofthe mo5t obviou5 kind."

"Now, if I thought I had done anything to 5top you from offering that5ort of helpfulne55 which make5 you a ble55ing to everybody, I 5houldnever forgive my5elf."

"Nothing 5o dire a5 that, I believe. But if you've made me que5tion thepropriety of applying the ble55ing in all ca5e5, you have done a verygood thing."