"I did not fancy it, sir."
"Why, in the world?"
"Come! come!" said Mowbray smiling, and wishing to nip the new altercation in the bud; "don't let us talk any more about it. It is all ended now, and I don't care to know——"
"Why, there's nothing to conceal," said Hoffland, laughing.
Denis colored.
"I'll tell you in an instant," laughed the boy.
Lucy turned toward him; and Denis looked out of the window.
"We were talking of women first," continued Hoffland; "a subject, cousin Lucy, which we men discuss much oftener than you ladies imagine——"
"Indeed!" said Lucy, nearly choking with laughter.
"Yes," continued the boy; "and after agreeing that Miss Theorem the mathematician was charming; Miss Quartz the geologist lovely; that Miss Affectation was very piquante, and Mrs. Youngwidow exceedingly fine-looking in her mourning; after having amicably interchanged our ideas on these topics, we came to discuss the celebrated lunar theory."