"
"What you mean, then, is that her daughter is a finished coquette?"
"I rather think so."
Stanmer walked along for some moments in silence.
"Seeing that you suppose me to be a--a great admirer of the Countess," he
said at last, "I am rather surprised at the freedom with which you speak
of her."
I confessed that I was surprised at it myself. "But it's on account of
the interest I take in you."
"I am immensely obliged to you!" said the poor boy.
"Ah, of course you don't like it. That is, you like my interest--I don't
see how you can help liking that; but you don't like my freedom. That's
natural enough; but, my dear young friend, I want only to help you. If a
man had said to me--so many years ago--what I am saying to you, I should
certainly also, at first, have thought him a great brute. But after a
little, I should have been grateful--I should have felt that he was
helping me."
"You seem to have been very well able to help yourself," said Stanmer.
"You tell me you made your escape."
"Yes, but it was at the cost of infinite perplexity--of what I may call
keen suffering. I should like to save you all that."
"I can only repeat--it is really very kind of you."
"Don't repeat it too often, or I shall begin to think you don't mean it.
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