 on.«
    »But, pray, do you consider yourself perfectly free?« asked Dora, with some
indignation.
    »Why shouldn't I?«
    »Then I think you have been behaving very strangely.«
    Jasper saw that she was in earnest. He stroked the back of his head and
smiled at the wall.
    »With regard to Marian, you mean?«
    »Of course I do.«
    »But Marian understands me perfectly. I have never for a moment tried to
make her think that - well, to put it plainly, that I was in love with her. In
all our conversations it has been my one object to afford her insight into my
character, and to explain my position. She has no excuse whatever for
misinterpreting me. And I feel assured that she has done nothing of the kind.«
    »Very well, if you feel satisfied with yourself -«
    »But come now, Dora; what's all this about? You are Marian's friend, and, of
course, I don't wish you to say a word about her. But let me explain myself. I
have occasionally walked part of the way home with Marian, when she and I have
happened to go from here at the same time; now there was nothing whatever in our
talk at such time that anyone mightn't have listened to. We are both
intellectual people, and we talk in an intellectual way. You seem to have rather
old-fashioned ideas - provincial ideas. A girl like Marian Yule claims the new
privileges of woman; she would resent it if you supposed that she couldn't be
friendly with a man without attributing intentions to him - to use the old word.
We don't live in Wattleborough, where liberty is rendered impossible by the
cackling of gossips.«
    »No, but -«
    »Well?«
    »It seems to me rather strange, that's all. We had better not talk about it
any more.«
    »But I have only just begun to talk about it; I must try to make my position
intelligible to you. Now, suppose - a quite impossible thing - that Marian
inherited some twenty or thirty thousand pounds; I should forthwith ask her to
be my wife.«
    »Oh indeed!«
    »I see no reason for sarcasm. It would be a most rational proceeding. I like
her very much; but to marry her (supposing she would have me) without money
would be a gross absurdity, simply spoiling my career, and leading to all sorts
of discontents
