"Certainly; by all means. It will come back, never fear. And look here, Charley; don't fall into that horribly common and vulgar error of abusing the people who are supposed to be thwarting your plans. Be specially kind, on the contrary, in all you say of them. This Captain Lyster, for instance, I should proclaim, if I were you, a thorough gentleman--a prolix chevalier of a type now seldom seen--a man evidently smothering an unhappy passion for--for--any body but Mrs. Schröder. Wouldn't the other one do? Mrs. Churchill, I mean." "Do! What do you mean? There used certainly to be a flirtation between them at one time, and--" "Quite enough. Only keep Mrs. Schröder from the notion that Lyster is spooning her; for that's enough at once to turn her silly little thoughts to him. Speak kindly of every one; and don't show the smallest signs of weariness, depression, or discouragement." When Mr. Simnel returned to his own room, he settled himself down into his chair, and fell to nursing his leg and thinking, with the old sinister smile on his face. "He's not the easiest fellow in the world to deal with--Beresford! At least, he'd be difficult to some; but I think I've got him in hand. Wants every thing to run slick off the reel at once, the idiot! As though any great coup had ever been pulled off, save by waiting, and watching, and patience. Marry Kate Mellon, indeed!" and here Mr. Simnel's fingers, intertwined across his knee, cracked as he pulled at them--"marry Kate Mellon, and with such a damned air of patronage too! No, my young friend, never! You held a trump-card there, and you neglected to play it; and in my game there's no revoking. I must see Kitty, and look how the land lies. I think I've stalled Master Charley off for some little time; and it's no use bringing about an éclaircissement of the Schröder business; which Kitty would be safe to do as soon as she had any tangible proof. Then I should lose my eight hundred pounds in Charley Beresford's general and helpless smash. But I'd sooner drop them than miss my chance of Kitty. Slippery, though--slippery as the deuce!" and Mr. Simnel put his elbow on his knee, and his face into his hand, and sat plucking at his chin "hankers after Beresford, no doubt,--I think has a liking for that young Prescott; but that I'll put a stop to to-day,--and I suppose only thanks me for my kindness. And yet I can put the finishing stroke to the whole thing in one moment; only want the one connecting-link and the story's complete; and then I'll take my oath she'll have me. I'll ride up there this afternoon, and just see how the land lies."