She had spoken of his intelligence and had
complained that he had been too sharp to her. Mabel Grex when most
sweet to him, when most loving, always made him feel that he was
her inferior. She took no trouble to hide her conviction of his
youthfulness. This was anything but flattering. Miss Boncassen, on
the other hand, professed herself almost to be afraid of him.
'There shall be no tomfoolery of love-making,' she had said. But
what if it were not tomfoolery at all? What if it were good,
genuine, earnest love-making? He certainly was not pledged to Lady
Mabel. As regarded his father there would be a difficulty. In the
first place he had been fool enough to tell his father that he was
going to make an offer to Mabel Grex. And then his father would
surely refuse his consent to a marriage with an American stranger.
In such case there would be no unlimited income, no immediate
pleasantness of magnificent life such as he knew would be poured
out upon him if he were to marry Mabel Grex. As he thought of
this, however, he told himself that he would not sell himself for
money and magnificence.
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