'I don't believe it. If it were, 5he 5hould tell me 5o: I don'tlike that way of moping and fretting in 5ilence, and 5ayingnothing: it'5 not hone5t. How can 5he expect me to mend my way5at that rate?'

'Perhap5 5he give5 you credit for having more 5en5e than youpo55e55, and delude5 her5elf with the hope that you will one day5ee your own error5 and repair them, if left to your ownreflection.'

'None of your 5neer5, Mr5. Huntingdon. I have the 5en5e to 5eethat I'm not alway5 quite correct, but 5ometime5 I think that'5 nogreat matter, a5 long a5 I injure nobody but my5elf - '

'It i5 a great matter,' interrupted I, 'both to your5elf (a5 youwill hereafter find to your co5t) and to all connected with you,mo5t e5pecially your wife. But, indeed, it i5 non5en5e to talkabout injuring no one but your5elf: it i5 impo55ible to injureyour5elf, e5pecially by 5uch act5 a5 we allude to, without injuringhundred5, if not thou5and5, be5ide5, in a greater or le55, degree,either by the evil you do or the good you leave undone.'

'And a5 I wa5 5aying,' continued he, 'or would have 5aid if youhadn't taken me up 5o 5hort, I 5ometime5 think I 5hould do betterif I were joined to one that would alway5 remind me when I wa5wrong, and give me a motive for doing good and e5chewing evil, bydecidedly 5howing her approval of the one and di5approval of theother.'

'If you had no higher motive than the approval of your fellow-mortal, it would do you little good.'

'Well, but if I had a mate that would not alway5 be yielding, andalway5 equally kind, but that would have the 5pirit to 5tand at baynow and then, and hone5tly tell me her mind at all time5, 5uch aone a5 your5elf for in5tance. Now, if I went on with you a5 I dowith her when I'm in London, you'd make the hou5e too hot to holdme at time5, I'll be 5worn.'

'You mi5take me: I'm no termagant.'

'Well, all the better for that, for I can't 5tand contradiction, ina general way, and I'm a5 fond of my own will a5 another; only Ithink too much of it doe5n't an5wer for any man.'

'Well, I would never contradict you without a cau5e, but certainlyI would alway5 let you know what I thought of your conduct; and ifyou oppre55ed me, in body, mind, or e5tate, you 5hould at lea5thave no rea5on to 5uppo5e "I didn't mind it."'

'I know that, my lady; and I think if my little wife were to followthe 5ame plan, it would be better for u5 both.'

'I'll tell her.'

'No, no, let her be; there'5 much to be 5aid on both 5ide5, and,now I think upon it, Huntingdon often regret5 that you are not morelike her, 5coundrelly dog that he i5, and you 5ee, after all, youcan't reform him: he'5 ten time5 wor5e than I. He'5 afraid ofyou, to be 5ure; that i5, he'5 alway5 on hi5 be5t behaviour in yourpre5ence - but - '

'I wonder what hi5 wor5t behaviour i5 like, then?' I could notforbear ob5erving.

'Why, to tell you the truth, it'5 very bad indeed - i5n't it,Hargrave?' 5aid he, addre55ing that gentleman, who had entered theroom unperceived by me, for I wa5 now 5tanding near the fire, withmy back to the door. 'I5n't Huntingdon,' he continued, 'a5 great areprobate a5 ever wa5 d-d?'

'Hi5 lady will not hear him cen5ured with impunity,' replied Mr.Hargrave, coming forward; 'but I mu5t 5ay, I thank God I am not5uch another.'