1 66 SEPTEMBER 



but now it became of a full sunset copper hue. 

 She said very stiffly, " I thought you knew my 

 cousin, Mr. Jervis," and I tried to beam a second 

 welcome no less hearty than the first while wrath 

 was at my heart. No one but Petunia would have 

 placed me in so awkward a predicament, and the 

 unreasonable creature presently blamed me for the 

 terrible moment instead of confessing that it had 

 been of her own making. 



o 



Petunia professes that here at last is the real 

 Mr. Mumby, and has the incredible hypocrisy to 

 try to persuade me that there has never really 

 been any other. I do not profess to follow the 

 tortuous windings of her love affairs as clearly as 

 might be desired, but I do maintain that I could 

 not possibly have got the name of Mumby down 

 in my mental notes unless there had been some 

 reason for it. However, she was not to be 

 appeased to-day by my efforts at self-justification, 

 although I did my best to make things pleasant 

 by assuring her that Jervis was a much prettier 

 name than Mumby, and that she was quite right 

 to change her mind if only for this reason. She 

 kissed me very coldly when she wished me good- 

 bye, and said she was afraid she should not be 

 able to come again for some time, which might 

 have been distressing, for I am genuinely fond of 

 Petunia. But there is a good deal to do in the 

 garden, and the days are shortening already, so 

 that possibly 'tis best so. 



How exceedingly tiresome are people who ought 

 to fall in love, and will not. And how worse than 

 tiresome are those who fall in love with persons 



