He pursued eagerly. “I could not warn any one too earnestly against such an entanglement.” Lemuel rose and looked about with a troubled glance. Sewell continued: “Any such marriage--a marriage upon any such conditions--is sure to be calamitous; and if the conditions are recognised beforehand, it is sure to be iniquitous. So far from urging the fulfilment of even a promise, in such a case, I would have every such engagement broken, in the interest of humanity--of morality----” Mrs. Sewell came into the room, and gave a little start of surprise, apparently not mixed with pleasure, at seeing Lemuel. She had never been able to share her husband's interest in him, while insisting upon his responsibility; she disliked him not logically, but naturally, for the wrong and folly which he had been the means of her husband's involving himself in; Miss Vane's kindliness toward Lemuel, which still survived, and which expressed itself in questions about him whenever she met the minister, was something that Mrs. Sewell could not understand. She now said, “Oh! Mr. Barker!” and coldly gave him her hand. “Have you been well? Must you go?” “Yes, thank you. I have got to be getting back. Well, good evening.” He bowed to the Sewells. “You must come again to see me,” said the minister, and looked at his wife. “Yes, it has been a very long time since you were here,” Mrs. Sewell added. “I haven't had a great deal of time to myself,” said Lemuel, and he contrived to get himself out of the room. Sewell followed him down to the door, in the endeavour to say something more on the subject his wife had interrupted, but he only contrived to utter some feeble repetitions. He came back in vexation, which he visited upon Lemuel. “Silly fellow!” he exclaimed. “What has he been doing now?” asked Mrs. Sewell, with reproachful discouragement. “Oh, _I_ don't know! I suspect that he's been involving himself in some ridiculous love affair!” Mrs. Sewell looked a silent inculpation. “It's largely conjecture on my part, of course,--he's about as confiding as an oyster!--but I fancy I have said some things in a conditional way that will give him pause. I suspect from his manner that he has entangled himself with some other young simpleton, and that he's ashamed of it, or tired of it, already. If that's the case, I have hit the nail on the head. I told him that a foolish, rash engagement was better broken than kept. The foolish marriages that people rush into are the greatest bane of life!” “And would you really have advised him, David,” asked his wife, “to break off an engagement if he had made one?” “Of course I should! I----” “Then I am glad I came in in time to prevent your doing anything so wicked.” “Wicked?” Sewell turned from his desk, where he was about to sit down, in astonishment.