to sit by the side of Sophia Furnival. No doubt his original object was still unchanged. A match between that lady and his friend Graham was still desirable, and by perseverance he might pique Felix Graham to arouse himself. But hitherto Felix Graham had not aroused himself in that direction, and one or two people among the party were inclined to mistake young Staveley's intentions.
'Gus,' his sister had said to him the night before, 'I declare I think you are going to make love to Sophia Furnival.'
'Do you?' he had replied. 'As a rule I do not think there is any one in the world for whose discernment I have so much respect as I have for yours. But in this respect even you are wrong.'
'Ah, of course you say so.'
'If you won't believe me, ask her. What more can I say?'
'I certainly shan't ask her, for I don't know her well enough.'
'She's a very clever girl; let me tell you that, whoever falls in love with her.'
'I'm sure she is, and she is handsome too, very; but for all that she is not good enough for our Gus.'
'Of course she is not, and therefore I am not thinking of her. And now go to bed and dream that you have got the Queen of the Fortunate Islands for your sister-in-law.'
But although Staveley was himself perfectly indifferent to all the charms of Miss Furnival, nevertheless he could hardly restrain his dislike to Lucius Mason, who, as he thought, was disposed to admire the lady in question. In talking of Lucius to his own family and to his special friend Graham, he had called him conceited, pedantic, uncouth, unenglish, and detestable. His own family, that is, his mother and sister, rarely contradicted him in anything; but Graham was by no means so cautious, and usually contradicted him in everything. Indeed, there was no sign of sterling worth so plainly marked in Staveley's character as the full conviction which he entertained of the superiority of his friend Felix.
'You are quite wrong about him,' Felix had said. 'He has not been at an English school, or English university, and therefore is not like other young men that you know; but he is, I think, well educated and clever. As for conceit, what man will do any good who is not conceited? Nobody holds a good opinion of a man who has a low opinion of himself.'
'All the same, my dear fellow, I do not like Lucius Mason.'
'And some one else, if you remember, did not like Dr. Fell.'
'And now, good people, what are you all going to do about church?' said Staveley, while they were still engaged with their rolls and eggs.
'I shall walk,' said the judge.
'And I shall go in the carriage,' said the judge's wife.
