It might have been that before committing himself he felt a desire for Mrs. Baines's definition of a kiss. "You are very extraordinary," she said loftily. It was no less than the truth. "All I want to know is--have you got anything against me?" he demanded roughly. "Because if so--" "Anything against you, Mr. Povey? Why should I have anything against you?" "Then why can't we be engaged?" She considered that he was bullying her. "That's another question," said she. "Why can't we be engaged? Ain't I good enough?" The fact was that he was not regarded as good enough. Mrs. Maddack had certainly deemed that he was not good enough. He was a solid mass of excellent qualities; but he lacked brilliance, importance, dignity. He could not impose himself. Such had been the verdict. And now, while Mrs. Baines was secretly reproaching Mr. Povey for his inability to impose himself, he was most patently imposing himself on her--and the phenomenon escaped her! She felt that he was bullying her, but somehow she could not perceive his power. Yet the man who could bully Mrs. Baines was surely no common soul! "You know my very high opinion of you," she said. Mr. Povey pursued in a mollified tone. "Assuming that Constance is willing to be engaged, do I understand you consent?" "But Constance is too young." "Constance is twenty. She is more than twenty." "In any case you won't expect me to give you an answer now." "Why not? You know my position." She did. From a practical point of view the match would be ideal: no fault could be found with it on that side. But Mrs. Baines could not extinguish the idea that it would be a 'come-down' for her daughter. Who, after all, was Mr. Povey? Mr. Povey was nobody. "I must think things over," she said firmly, putting her lips together. "I can't reply like this. It is a serious matter." "When can I have your answer? To-morrow?" "No--really--" "In a week, then?" "I cannot bind myself to a date," said Mrs. Baines, haughtily. She felt that she was gaining ground. "Because I can't stay on here indefinitely as things are," Mr. Povey burst out, and there was a touch of hysteria in his tone. "Now, Mr. Povey, please do be reasonable." "That's all very well," he went on. "That's all very well. But what I say is that employers have no right to have male assistants in their houses unless they are prepared to let their daughters marry! That's what I say! No RIGHT!" Mrs. Baines did not know what to answer. The aspirant wound up: "I must leave if that's the case." "If what's the case?" she asked herself. "What has come over him?" And aloud: "You know you would place me in a very awkward position by leaving, and I hope you don't want to mix up two quite different things. I hope you aren't trying to threaten me."