with baser considerations. But, if I be not misled,—if she and I, in this separate sphere, understand each other,—then our time will come!
**********
If Henry had lost his temper, or if I had not been present, it would doubtless have been a great deal worse: it was painful enough as it was. John, as usual, now that his explosion is over, seems to feel no further animosity. Such is his fortunate temperament; but if he had happened to kill his brother while the fit was on him, what then? Well, he is like a child, and evidently thinks that to shake hands and say, "I'm sorry," is ample atonement for having charged a man with all the crimes in the calendar or attempted to murder him. Henry, for his part, appears to bear no malice: so nothing further seems likely to come of it.
Henry had just knocked at my library door, and, having entered, was on the point of taking a chair, when John bounced in. I wish, by the way, Henry had had time to open the topic he came to discuss,—if there were any topic in particular. As soon as I saw John, I knew what was coming; but Henry was delightfully unconscious.
"Jack, you are more like a horse than a man," he remarked. "When I hear your step, I always forget you are not a quadruped, until my eyes have corrected my ears!"
"You are a thief and a scoundrel!" said John, trying to command his voice and to appear cold and stern.
"That is bad change for so noble an animal as the horse," returned Henry, lifting his eyebrows. "But I withdraw the expression. It is a sufficient excuse and explanation of your proceedings that you are John Mainwaring, of Cedarcliffe, Esquire."
John was too angry to be able to fathom this bit of sarcasm; but "You can't play with me!" he shouted. "This is my house: I don't want you here! Do you think I'll let you insult ladies who are my guests? No, by G—! I saw you in the wood to-day! If she hadn't been there, I'd have knocked you down on the spot, you—you infernal rake!"
At this, Henry threw back his head and laughed. "I begin to understand!" said he. "But you're mistaken in one thing, Jack: if she hadn't been there, you wouldn't have knocked me down."
"Why not?" demanded John, with a threatening gesture.
"Because," replied Henry, looking him quietly in the eyes, "if she hadn't been there, you would have seen no cause to be jealous!"
It took John several seconds to take in the subtilty of this argument; but when he understood it he set his teeth and made a spring at Henry, who did not move a muscle. But I was on the watch, and got between
