Page:The Novels and Tales of Henry James, Volume 1 (New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1907).djvu/510

 you, of your taking no first step. If I 'm not mistaken you 're now reconciled to your having let things alone."

"Oh yes," said Roderick, "I remember what you said; you made it a kind of personal favour to yourself that I should not clear anything up. I consented, but afterwards, when I thought of it, your attitude struck me as having its oddity. Had it ever been seen before?—a man asking another man to gratify him, in such a case—I mean the case of such an attractive girl—by still blocking the way."

"Well, my view was about as selfish as another," said Rowland. "One man puts his selfishness into this thing, and one into that. It would n't at all have suited me to see your cousin in low spirits."

"But you liked her—you admired her, eh? So you intimated."

"I admire her extremely."

"It was your originality then—to do you justice you 've a great deal of a certain sort—to wish her happiness secured in just that fashion. Many a man would have liked better himself to make the woman he admired happy, and would have welcomed her low spirits as an opening for sympathy. You were very quaint and unexpected—though I 'm bound to say very reasonable and even very charming—about it."

"So be it!" said Rowland. "The question is Are n't you glad I was all those interesting things? Are n't you finding much of your old feeling for your cousin now come back to you?"

"I don't pretend to say. When she arrived in 476