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"I'm not a lover," he answered swiftly "Do you wish I were?"

"For Betty's sake, I'lad you aren't But I think I should respect you more if you weren't quite so arctic"

"I'm not an incendiary, at any rate," said he, "and that's so, with my coloured eyes, isn't it?"

"Well," she said, "whatever your temperature is, I rather like you I don't wonder at Betty in the least"

Vernon bowed

"All I ask is your proain"

"I can't promise that, you know I can't be rude to her But I'll prohed

"As, yes--it is sad--all that tione unpleasantly near his thought Of course he said: "You don't understand o"

"Let erly; "it was ood of you I must own that my heart sank when I kneas Miss Betty's aunt who honoured lad you came I never would have believed that a lady could be so reasonable and--and--"

"And gentlemanly?" said the lady "Yes,--it's my brother-in-laho is the old wo round the world for five and twenty years, and I've kept e to be silly, the man I was silly about had your coloured eyes He married an actress, poor fellow,--or rather, she married hi that'll happen to you, unless you're uncoive ive you ret--"

"I believe in that right enough It iven away like this Oh, I believe in your regret!"

"My regret," said Vernon steadily, "for any pain I rateful I a seen at once that it was not her fault at all, but wholly ood boy!" said Betty's aunt "Well, nashing his respectable teeth, no doubt, and inferring all sorts of coth of our interview Good-bye You're just the sort of youngI'ether Don't you think so?"