SEPTEMBER 169 



who have not the remotest intention of falling in 

 love with them. Here is an example. Magdalen 

 loves Jim, who cares not for her, nor, like Rosalind, 

 for any woman. Petunia loves Mr. Mumby (or 

 some one of whom Mr. Mumby may stand as a 

 type), who, so far as I am able to judge, has never 

 bestowed a thought upon Petunia. If Jim would 

 love Petunia, who is craving for affection, all 

 would be well. Of course I would rather he 

 loved Magdalen, but that does not seem a likely 

 consummation, and as a second best I choose 

 Petunia. As things stand at present, then, Mr. 

 Mumby does not love Petunia, who in his default 

 would quite willingly put up with the affection of 

 Jim, who cares no jot for Magdalen who adores 

 him. I believe there was a certain French philo- 

 sopher who discovered that it takes three to make 

 a pair of lovers " Us ont bien tort qui disent qu'il 

 ne faut que deux pour faire 1'amour ; il faut au 

 moins trois." I should be inclined to go further, 

 and to declare that it takes four to spoil two good 

 matches. And so life in its contrariety goes on. 



Magdalen comes here and looks through Jim, as 

 if he was merely a rather boring feature in the 

 landscape. Jim goes to the Manor, and half the 

 time he is there he literally does not know whether 

 Magdalen is present or not. That, at least, is the 

 impression left upon me as an observer of my 

 fellow-men, and so far as Jim's unconsciousness 

 is concerned, I am convinced that I am not in 

 error. Magdalen's attitude is, of course, a pose, 

 simply because she is a woman, and posing is her 

 safety. A man who has feelings to hide can take 



