But gradually he got over the feeling, and grew more at his ease. He consoled himself by thinking that when he had won and married Ruth he would let her always have Gertie with her, and then the child would be really enjoying her father’s property, just as much as though it had come to her in the first instance. It was an odd kind of morality; but Gurth Egerton’s ideas of right and wrong had always been of a peculiar sort. While the tea-party was being held above, Mrs. Turvey had a small entertainment of her own going on in the room below. Now that Mr. Egerton remained permanently at home another servant had been engaged, and she waited on the company, so that Mrs. Turvey only had to see that the things went up nice and hot and generally to superintend. This gave her time to attend to her own guest, who was no other than Mr. Jabez. The good lady knew that he had a weakness for her hot cakes, and she had taken this opportunity of inviting him to tea. By making an extra quantity, both Jabez and the ladies and gentlemen upstairs could be baked for in the same oven. Jabez required a good deal of keeping up to the mark. He had never plucked up courage to defy his beloved Susan to do her worst; but the wooing had not advanced. He still kept up an outward appearance of devotion, but he required considerable temptation, in the shape of substantial teas, to lure him iuto Susan’s little parlour after he left business. He was always making excuses. Now he was kept late at the office; now he was obliged to go straight home because Georgina was ill. The trial of his lodger for forgery was for a long time a plea for the fact of his visits being like those of the oft-quoted angels—few and far between. Every now and then, however, in the interests of diplomacy, he felt compelled to put a good face on the matter and ‘come up smiling’ in response to Susan’s pressing invitations. The letters were still in her possession; his poems were still held _in terrorem_ over him. On the occasion of the Adrians’ visit he had consented to take tea in Mrs. Turvey’s little parlour and try her famous hot cakes. Love had not injured his appetite, and he was far more assiduous in his attention to the cakes than he was in his attentions to the lady whose light hand had turned them out so successfully. ‘Jabez,’ said Mrs. Turvey, ‘I don’t think it will be long before I leave here.’ ‘Leave here—why?’ exclaimed Jabez. ‘Well, there’s a young lady upstairs pouring out the master’s tea.’ ‘So you told me before,’ said Jahez, taking a bite. ‘Where shall I go when I leave here, Jabez?’ Jahez swallowed a mouthful hurriedly. ‘I’m sure I don’t know, Susan.’ ‘Then you ought to, that’s all I’ve got to say. How much longer do you think I’m going to stand your indifference? I tell you what it is, Jahez, I shall give you till I get notice to leave here, and I shan’t give you a moment longer.’ Jahez, whose eyes had been cast down, looked up hurriedly.