"Keep away from her for a time." Van Bleit looked up at him sharply. "You say that!" he cried... "You!--just off on a honeymoon of your own! What would you reply if a man advised you to chuck it?" "If you were off on your honeymoon," Lawless returned calmly, "my advice would be unnecessary." "But why," Van Bleit persisted, "should I keep out of her way? What purpose could it possibly serve? ... It would give others a chance, that's all." "She would probably miss you," Lawless answered. "When she realised that, she would want you; and when you returned you would be sure of your welcome... You needn't scowl. You asked for the advice. I didn't suppose you would take it, and I shan't feel offended if you don't." "I don't believe in the efficacy of that plan," Van Bleit said shortly. "A man in love wouldn't," Lawless returned indifferently. "The moth has to make for the light." "Well, but--" Van Bleit appeared to be wavering. He stared hard at the inscrutable face opposite, trying to gauge the purpose of the carelessly given advice that accorded so ill with his own inclinations. But he could make nothing of it. The man baffled him as he baffled many another. Although he had given the advice, it seemed to be a matter of supreme indifference to him whether it were acted upon or not. "I've a great belief in your knowledge of women," he said slowly. Lawless smiled. "It's faith in my disinterestedness you lack," he threw in, and Van Bleit did not deny it. "You've never been keen on it, somehow," he observed. "I noticed that when I first told you about it... Seems as though you couldn't get out of the manger. I suppose it is human nature that a man should object to seeing another fellow's success in the case of a beautiful woman, even though he knows himself out of the running." Lawless leant back in his seat and puffed a number of blue rings into the air. "You may know a lot about human nature, Karl," he said presently, "you're very human yourself--but you don't know me. If I've been somewhat unsympathetic over this affair it's because I happen to know something of both of you. I realised that you were serious, but I never imagined you stood anything of a chance... It wasn't until I saw you together that it occurred to me that, if your chance was not great, she certainly liked you. She is not prodigal of her favour, so I think you have grounds to feel flattered. But women, when they grow accustomed to having a man at their beck and call, are inclined to take it rather as a matter of course. Relegate him to a distance, and they appreciate a service they have not realised until they are called upon to do without it. That's my experience... But go your own way, old man, and if you find your tactics fail then follow mine."