PODB. You have, and no mistake. She's regularly taken me in hand, don't you know--she says I've no intelligent appreciation of Italian Art; and gad, I believe she's right there! But I'm pulling up--bound to teach you a lot, seeing all the old altar-pieces I do! And she gives me the right tips, don't you see; she's no end of a clever girl, so well-read and all that! But I say--about Miss Trotter? Don't want to be inquisitive, you know, but you don't seem to be much _about_ with her. CULCH. I--er--the feelings I entertain towards Miss Trotter have suffered no change--quite the reverse, only--and I wish to impress this upon you, Podbury--it is undesirable, for--er--many reasons, to make my attentions--er--too conspicuous. I--I trust you have not alluded to the matter to--well, to Miss Prendergast, for example? PODB. Not I, old fellow--got other things to talk about. But I don't quite see why---- CULCH. You are not _required_ to see. I don't WISH it, that is all. I--er--think that should be sufficient. PODB. Oh, all right, _I'll_ keep dark. But she's bound to know sooner or later, now she and Miss Trotter have struck up such a friendship. And Hypatia will be awfully pleased about it--why _shouldn't_ she, you know? ... I'm going to see if there's any one on the tennis-court, and get a game if I can. Ta-ta! CULCH. (_alone_). Podbury knows very little about women. If Hyp--Miss Prendergast--once found out _why_ I renounced my suitorship, I should have very little peace, I know that--I've taken particular care not to betray my attachment to Maud. I'm afraid she's beginning to notice it, but I must be careful. I don't like this sudden intimacy between them--it makes things so very awkward. They've been sitting under that tree over there for the last half-hour, and goodness only knows what confidences they may have exchanged! I really must go up and put a stop to it, presently. [Illustration: "BOUND TO TEACH YOU A LOT, SEEING ALL THE OLD ALTAR-PIECES I DO!"] UNDER THE TREE. HYPATIA. I only tell you all this, dearest, because I _do_ think you have rather too low an opinion of men as a class, and I wanted to show you that I have met at least _one_ man who was capable of a real and disinterested devotion. MAUD. Well, I allowed that was about your idea. HYP. And don't you recognize that it was very fine of him to give up everything for his friend's sake? MAUD. I guess it depends how much "everything" amounted to. HYP. (_annoyed_). I thought, darling, I had made it perfectly plain what a sacrifice it meant to him. _I_ know how much he--I needn't tell you there are certain symptoms one can_not_ be deceived in. MAUD. No, I guess you needn't tell me _that_, love. And it was perfectly lovely of him to give you up, when he was under vow for you and all, sooner than stand in his friend's light--only I don't just see how that was going to help his friend any. HYP. Don't you really? Not when the friend was under vow for me too?