A sudden gleam irradiated her sweet face, as she raised it towards him with a smile of exquisite joy and gratitude. That one word had rolled the heavy stone which was lying on her heart, and gave the lie to all the "base insinuations of that odious Captain Heath."
'Twas thus she spoke of one she really loved, and who loved her more than anything on earth!
The men drew their chairs closer together, and commenced that onslaught on the dessert which is characteristic of such moments.
"Have you never remarked," said Cecil, "that men refuse to touch fruit until the women retire, and then attack it as if their appetites had been sharpened by restraint?"
"It is, I pwesume, upon the pwinciple of compensation," said Tom Wincot. "Depwived of the fwuit of humanity, the gwapes, apwicots, and nectawines of life, we are thwown upon the fwuit of nature! I say, Cecil, isn't that vewy poetically expwessed?"
"Very. But I don't think much of the compensation myself. I should like the women to remain with us as they do abroad."
"That," said Meredith Vyner, "would spoil dinners. The pleasantest part is the conversation after the ladies have retired."
"Besides," objected Tom Wincot, "however pleasant the society of women, one can't be always with them. Toujours perdwix!"
"Toujours de la perdrix," interposed Vyner, glad of an opportunity of setting any one right. "If you must quote French, quote it at least correctly."
"Isn't toujours perdwix cowect, Mr. Mewedith Vyner. I never heard it expwessed otherwise."