"You're afraid."
"No, I am not, George."
"Yes, you are."
"What am I afraid of?"
"Why, you're afraid that you won't succeed."
"Indeed, then, and I am not. A mere notion like that I could easily prevail on him to give up. I should be sorry, indeed, if I had not that much influence over him."
"You'll find it a pretty hard notion to beat out of him, I can tell you. I've seen half a dozen young men try for an hour by all kinds of means to induce him to taste wine; but it was no use. He was immovable."
"I don't care;—he couldn't refuse me, if I set myself about it."
"He could, and he would, Clara."
"I don't believe a word of it."