, that women get over their first loves quite as easily
as men do (for the fair Blanche, in their intimes conversations, did not cease
to twit Mr. Pen about his notorious failure in his own virgin attachment to the
Fotheringay), and, number one being withdrawn, transfer themselves to number two
without much difficulty. And poor little Fanny was offered up in sacrifice as an
instance to prove this theory. What griefs she had endured and surmounted, what
bitter pangs of hopeless attachment she had gone through, what time it had taken
to heal those wounds of the tender little bleeding heart, Mr. Pen did not know,
or perhaps did not choose to know; for he was at once modest and doubtful about
his capabilities as a conqueror of hearts, and averse to believe that he had
executed any dangerous ravages on that particular one, though his own instance
and argument told against himself in this case - for if, as he said, Miss Fanny
was by this time in love with her surgical adorer, who had neither good looks
nor good manners, nor wit, nor anything but ardour and fidelity to recommend
him, must she not, in her first sickness of the love-complaint, have had a
serious attack, and suffered keenly for a man who had certainly a number of the
showy qualities which Mr. Huxter wanted?
    »You wicked odious creature,« Miss Blanche said, »I believe that you are
enraged with Fanny for being so impudent as to forget you, and that you are
actually jealous of Mr. Huxter.« Perhaps Miss Amory was right, as the blush
which came in spite of himself and tingled upon Pendennis's cheek (one of those
blows with which a man's vanity is constantly slapping his face) proved to Pen
that he was angry to think he had been superseded by such a rival - by such a
fellow as that! without any conceivable good quality! Oh Mr. Pendennis!
(although this remark does not apply to such a smart fellow as you) if Nature
had not made that provision for each sex in the credulity of the other, which
sees good qualities where none exist, good looks in donkeys' ears, wit in their
numskulls, and music in their bray, there would not have been near so much
marrying and giving in marriage as now obtains, and as is necessary for the due
propagation and continuance of the noble race to which we belong!
    »Jealous or not,« Pen said - »and, Blanche, I don't say no - I should have
liked Fanny to come to a
