As for liking me, he cares no more for me than I do for these currants!" scattering a bunch over her plate as she spoke; "and yet you will see what influence I shall exercise over him. A man who leads his sort of life, must be subject to ennui; he will require to be amused, and I am amusing; it is my business. Moreover, he is vain, and I shall flatter him—the more coarsely the better."
"I begin to believe," muttered her companion, "that what is called delicate flattery, is an absurdity."
"You should lay it on," resumed she, "as we do paint on the stage; it is quantity that tells. But I have, also, another hold on Sir George; I shall do all sorts of absurd and outrageous things, and they will gratify his darling propensity—they will make him talked of!"
"Lavinia!" exclaimed Maynard, suddenly and earnestly, "have you a grain of feeling?"
"It is well for you, Walter, to ask that," answered the girl, her whole face changing, and her words half choked by strong emotion.
