'Does he—really and truly? I saw him out of the little passage window, and I thought he looked quite thin! And Lizzie Bruce said Mrs. Hartley asked who that handsome young man was who looked so delicate.'
'He is particularly strong and healthy. Alice, I want to set it all before you as a reasonable being—'
'Only do tell me; has he got his appetite? For you know he is used to live where everything is recherché, and when one's out of spirits things do make a difference—'
Was that the claw in the velvet paw?
'He eats three times as much as Felix any day,' said Wilmet, with a certain remembrance of the startling nudity of the bone of yesterday's leg of mutton. 'He is doing very well. You need not be afraid for him; but it seems to me that you should consider whether it can be right—'
'Come, Wilmet, you were my first friend; you can't help being kind to me.'
'I want to show you true kindness.'
'True kindness means something horridly cross! Now don't, Wilmet. I get ever so much kindness as it is! I know what you are going to say. It is very naughty of people to like each other when neither of them has got a sixpence; but if they can't help it, what then? Must they leave off liking, eh?'
'They ought to try to prevent their liking from leading to disobedience and concealment.'
'Ah! but if they can't?'