“There--you have spoilt it all with that unkind ‘but’! Don’t you think me handsome? I am considered one of the handsomest men about town, I assure you.” “Not really?” This slipped out quickly, for I thought he was in fun. I afterwards found out, to my surprise, that it was true; but I did not learn it then, for he looked very much amused, and said-- “That is blow number two; but I am not going to be crushed. Don’t you think me good?” “Oh, no!” “Why not, Miss Christie?” said he, pretending to be in despair. My chief reason was that, if he had been very “good,” he would not have made Lady Mills angry with me by taking me on the river late at night; for he had shown later that he knew it was not considered right. But it would have seemed ungenerous to recall that when it had all passed over; so I only said-- “I know from the way they talked to you and of you that they did not think you very good, and that you did not wish to be thought so.” “But I am going to reform after what you said on Sunday.” “Oh, no, you are not!” said I, shaking my head. “You say so only because it amuses you to see how much you can make me believe of the things you tell me.” “Do you judge all the people you know as severely as you do me, Miss Christie?” “Yes, quite,” said I gravely. “Oh--er--the gentleman who gave you the red rose, for instance?” He said this in a mock-bashful tone, looking at the carpet, as if ashamed to meet my eyes. I could not help getting red, and I think he knew it without looking up. “Or--or perhaps he--never does anything wrong?” “Oh, yes, he does, Mr. Carruthers!” said I, with a bright idea in my head--he had been laughing at me long enough, I thought. “He did very wrong in thinking he need be jealous of any of the gentlemen I met at Denham Court.” Mr. Carruthers raised his head and looked straight at me. I am not sure that he was not a little annoyed as well as amused, though he laughed very good-temperedly. “I will never make love to you any more, you ungrateful girl!” said he. “Make love! Do you call that making love?” said I, laughing. “It is not the best I can do by any means; but I shall be very glad to show you--” “You need not take that trouble, thank you; I will take your word for it,” said I, laughing again. I had learnt to answer him back in his own way; and I think he was a little surprised at the progress I was making. “You are too quick of fence for me,” said he, shaking his head. “Well, don’t you want to know what has been going on at Denham Court?” he asked rather suddenly, in a different tone. “Oh, yes! But there has not been time for much to happen. I left there on Monday, and this is only Thursday.” “There has been time for a very serious misfortune to happen, for all that,” said he gravely. “Last night Denham Court was broken into, and Lady Mills and Mrs. Cunningham and Mrs. Carew and some of the other ladies had all their most valuable jewelry stolen; and a quantity of gold plate was taken too.”