Her good-natured husband laughed at this little picture of himself. "Ah, my darling, how many more times am I to make the same confession to my pretty priest? Try to remember, without more telling, that it's one of my misfortunes to be a man of many tempers. There are times when I get tired to death of Mr. Vimpany; and there are times when the cheery old devil exercises fascinations over me. I declare you're spoiling the eyebrows that I admire by letting them twist themselves into a frown! After the trouble I have taken to clear your mind of prejudice against an unfortunate man, it's disheartening to find you so hard on the poor fellow's faults and so blind to his virtues." The time had been when this remonstrance might have influenced his wife's opinion. She passed it over without notice now. "Does he come here by your invitation?" she asked. "How else should he come here, my dear?" She looked at her husband with doubt too plainly visible in her eyes. "I wonder what your motive is for sending for him," she said. He was just lifting his teacup to his lips--he put it down again when he heard those words. "Are you ill this morning?" he asked. "No." "Have I said anything that has offended you?" "Certainly not." "Then I must tell you this, Iris; I don't approve of what you have just said. It sounds, to my mind, unpleasantly like suspicion of me and suspicion of my friend. I see your face confessing it, my lady, at this moment." "You are half right, Harry, and no more. What you see in my face is suspicion of your friend." "Founded on what, if you please?" "Founded on what I have seen of him, and on what I know of him. When you tried to alter my opinion of Mr. Vimpany some time since, I did my best to make my view your view. I deceived myself, for your sake; I put the best construction on what he said and did, when he was staying here. It was well meant, but it was of no use. In a thousand different ways, while he was doing his best to win my favour, his true self was telling tales of him under the fair surface. Mr. Vimpany is a bad man. He is the very worst friend you could have about you at any time--and especially at a time when your patience is tried by needy circumstances." "One word, Iris. The more eloquent you are, the more I admire you. Only, don't mention my needy circumstances again." She passed over the interruption as she had already passed over the remonstrance, without taking notice of it.