Mb. Fouktain  sat  at  breakfast  opposite  his  niece  with
a  twinkle  set  in  his  eye  like  a  cherry-clack  in  a  tree,
relishing  beforehand  her  smiles  and  blushes  and  grati-
tude to  him  for  having  hooked  and  played  his  friend,  so
that  now  she  had  but  to  land  him. "FU  just  finish  this
delicious  cup  of  coffee,"  thought  he,  "  and  then  I'll  tell
you,  my  lady."  Whilst  he  was  slowly  sipping  said  cup,
Lucy  looked  up,  and  said  graciously  to  him,  "  How  siUy
Mr. Talboys  was  last  night,  was  he  not,  dear  ?  "

"  Talboys,  silly  ?  what,  do  you  know  ?  Why,  what  on
earth  do  you  mean  ?  "

"  Silly  is  a  harsh  word ;  injudicious,  then :  praising  me
a  tort  et  a  travers,  and  was  downright  ill-bred ;  was  dis-
courteous to  another  of  our  guests,  Mr. Dodd."

"Confound  Mr. Dodd!  I  wish  I  had  never  invited
him."

"  So  do  I. If  you  remember,  I  dissuaded  you."

"I  do  remember  now. What,  you  don't  like  him,
either  ?  "

"  There  you  are  mistaken,  dear. I  esteem  Mr. Dodd
highly,  and  Miss  Dodd,  too,  in  spite  of  her  manifest
defects ;  but  in  making  up  parties,  however  small,  we
should  choose  our  guests  with  reference  to  each  other,
not  merely  to  ourselves ;  now,  forgive  me,  it  was  clear
beforehand  that  Mr. F^niiint^in  and  the  Dodds,  especially
Miss  Dodd,  would  never  coalesce. Hence  my  objection
to  inviting  them ;  but  you  overruled  me  —  with  a  rod  of
iron,  dear."

"  Yes,  but  why  ?  because  you  gave  me  such  a  bad


LOVE  ME  LITTLE,   LOVE  ME  LONG. 103

reason;  you  never  said  a  word  about  this  incon-
gruity."

"  But  it  was  in  my  mind  all  the  time."

"  Then  why  didn't  it  come  out  ?  "

"Because  —  because  something  else  would  come  out
instead. As  if  one  gave  one's  real  reasons  for  things !
Now,  uncle  dear,  you  allow  me  great  liberties ;  but  would
it  have  been  quite  the  thing  for  me  to  lecture  you  upon
the  selection  of  your  own  convives  ?  "

"  Why,  you  have  ended  by  doing  it."

Lucy  colored. 