WYLDER'S HAJVD.
21
and seemed to speak in good faith; and being somewhat
thick in some matters, though a cunning fellow, he
said —
"Yes; that is the sort of thing, you know — of course,
with a difference — a girl is supposed to speak there; but
jr^E suffer that way, too — though, of course, very likely
it's more their own fault."
"It is very sad," said Miss Lake, who was busy with a
pdtS.
"She has no life in her; she's a mere figurehead ; she's
awfully slow; I don't like black hair; I'm taken by con-
versation — and all that. There are some men that can
only really love once in their lives, and never forget their
first love, I assure you."
Wylder murmured all this, and looked as plaintive as
he could without exciting the attention of the people
over-the-way.
Mark Wylder had, as you perceive, rather vague notions
of decency, and not much experience of ladies; and
thought he was making just the interesting impression he
meditated. He was a good deal surprised, then, when
Miss Lake said, and with quite a cheerful countenance, and
very quickly, but so that his words stung his ear like the
prick of a bodkin.
"Your way of speaking of my cousin, sir, is in the
highest degree discreditable to you and offensive to me,
and should you venture to repeat it, I will certainly men-
tion it to Lady Chelford."
And so she turned to old Major Jackson at her right,
who had been expounding a point of the battle of Vittoria
to Lord Chelford; and she led him again into action, and
acquired during the next ten minutes a great deal of cu-
rious lore about Spanish muleteers and French prisoners,
together with some particulars about the nature of picket
duty, and " that scoundrel, Castanos."