I had supposed he would resent this, but he had his reasons for not doing so, though they were none too creditable to him. Mr. Canter was too bold with women and not bold enough with men. And a little later it transpired that with one woman, at least, he was as tame as he was with the other sex. The woman the young men referred to kept him in fear of his life for years, and he had neither the physical nor moral courage to break away from her. XXXV MR. LEIGH HAS A PROPOSAL OF MARRIAGE MADE HIM Though I had not acted on the principle, I had always felt that a young man had no right to pay his addresses to a young lady without giving some account of himself to her father, or whoever might stand in the relation of her natural protector; certainly that it was incumbent on a gentleman to do so. I felt, therefore, that it was necessary for me before proceeding further in my pursuit of Eleanor Leigh to declare my intention to her father. My declaration to her had been the result of a furious impulse to which I had yielded; but now that I had cooled, my principle reasserted itself. One trouble was that I did not know Mr. Leigh. I determined to consult John Marvel, and I had a sneaking hope that he might not think it necessary for me to speak about it to him. I accordingly went around to his room and after he had gotten through with a tramp or two, who had come to bleed him of any little pittance which he might have left, he came in. I bolted into the middle of my subject. "John, I am in love." I fancied that his countenance changed slightly--I thought, with surprise. "Yes. I know you are." "How did you know it? I am in love with Eleanor Leigh." His countenance changed a shade more, and he looked away and swallowed with a little embarrassment. "Yes. I know that too." "How did you know it?" He smiled. John sometimes smiled rather sadly. "I want you to help me." "How?" "I don't know. I have to go and ask Mr. Leigh." "What! Has she accepted you?" His face was, as I recalled later, full of feeling of some kind. "No. I wish to Heaven she had! If anything, she has rejected me,--but that is nothing. I am going to win her and marry her. I am going to ask her father's permission to pay my addresses to her, and then I don't care whether he gives it or not.--Yes, I do care, too; but whether he does or not I am going to win her and him and marry her." "Henry," he said gently, "you deserve to win her, and I believe, maybe--if--" He went off into a train of reflection, which I broke in on. "I don't think I do," I said honestly, sobered by his gentleness; "but that makes no difference. I love her better than all the rest of the world, and I mean to win her or die trying. So, none of your 'maybes' and 'ifs'. I want your advice how to proceed. I have not a cent in the world; am, in fact, in debt; and I feel that I must tell her father so." "That will scarcely tend to strengthen your chances with him," said John. My spirits rose.