"Beauty, of course, is a dazzling and dangerous thing," Brand said; "for
a man always wants to believe that fine eyes and a sweet voice have a
sweet soul behind them. And very often he finds behind them something in
the shape of a soul that a dog or a cat would be ashamed to own. But as
for Natalie Lind, I don't think one can be deceived. She shows too much.
She vibrates too quickly--too inadvertently--to little chance touches. I
did suspect her, I will confess. I thought she was hired to play the
part of decoy. But I had not seen her for ten minutes before I was
convinced she was playing no part at all."

"But goodness gracious, Brand, what are we coming to?" Lord Evelyn said,
with a laugh. "What! We already believe in England, and patriotism, and
the love of freedom? And we are prepared to admit that there is one
woman--positively, in the world, one woman--who is not a cheat and a
selfish coquette? Why, where are we to end?"

"I don't think I said only one woman," Brand replied, quite
good-naturedly; and then he added, with a smile, "You ask where we are
to end. Suppose I were to accept your new religion, Evelyn? Would that
please you? And would it please her, too?"

"Ah!" said his companion, looking up with a quick glance of pleasure.
But he would argue no more.

"Perhaps I have been too suspicious. It is a habit; I have had to look
after myself pretty much through the world; and I don't overvalue the
honesty of people I don't know. But when I once set my hand to the work,
I am not likely to draw back."

"You could be of so much more value to them than I can," said Lord