144 GARRYOWEN 



formed intention to " ask " her himself, had 

 apparently dismissed her from his mind. I 

 doubt if ever a lover found himself in a more 

 pecuUar and difficult position than that which 

 was beginning to surround Mr Dashwood. French 

 brought into this affair a mixture of card-room 

 and commercial honesty that was very embarrass- 

 ing to an ordinary rival. He had said in substance, 

 " Here's a girl; you're in love with her. I'm not 

 going to do a mean thing; I'm going to take you 

 to my house and put you together, so that you 

 may know more of each other. If she hkes you 

 better than me, you can have her ; if she likes me 

 better than you, you can't. I give you just the 

 same chance as I have myseK, and I expect you 

 to play the game." There was a splendid self- 

 confidence in the proposition which made it not 

 altogether a compHmentary one; but there was 

 also a fine open-heartedness, an absence of that 

 essential mahce of love, which made it less a pro- 

 position than a law of conduct with all sorts of 

 clauses. 



Generous in a love-affair! Men may be 

 generous in sharing money, in sharing fame, in 

 sharing the chance of death, but in sharing the 

 chance of love — ah! that's a very different thing. 

 The most extreme Sociahst has never dared to 

 propound such a community of interests, and yet 

 here was a simple Irish gentleman not propounding 

 the idea, but putting it in practice, and as fine 

 deeds are the fathers of fine thoughts, here was an 



