“Beyond everything. He surprised even me.”
“And I know what you've heard.” After a moment I added: “Had he peradventure caught a glimpse of the money in the table-drawers?”
At this my companion honestly flushed. “How can you be so cruel when you know how little he calculates?”
“Forgive me, I do know it. But you tell me things that act on my nerves. I'm sure he hadn't caught a glimpse of anything but some splendid idea.”
Mrs. Mulville brightly concurred. “And perhaps even of her beautiful listening face.”
“Perhaps, even! And what was it all about?”
“His talk? It was à propos of her engagement, which I had told him about: the idea of marriage, the philosophy, the poetry, the profundity of it.” It was impossible wholly to restrain one's mirth at this, and some rude ripple that I emitted again caused my companion to admonish me. “It sounds a little stale, but you know his freshness.”
“Of illustration? Indeed I do!”
“And how he has always been right on that great question.”
“On what great question, dear lady, hasn't he been right?”