IreadintoLadyJohn’swonderfulmanner——whichquiteclamoured，moreover，foraninterpretation——allthatwasimpliedinthelessonIhadextractedfromotherportionsofthebusiness。Itwasdistinctlypoorshewhogavemethelead，anditwasnotlessdefinitethatsheputittomethatI
shouldrenderheraserviceeitherbyremainingwiththemorbyinventingsomething—thatwouldlureherpersecutoraway。Shedesiredhim，evenatthecostofherbeingleftalone，distractedfromhispursuit。
Poorhe，inhisquarter，Ihastentoadd，contributedtomypickingoutthisembroiderynothingmorehelpfulthanasustaineddetachment。Hesaidaslittleaspossible，seemedheedlessofwhatwasotherwisesaid，andonlygavemeonhisownaccountalookortwoofdimsuggestiveness。
Yetitwastheselooksthatmosttoldwithme，andwhatthey，fortheirpart，conveyedwasapleathatdirectlycontradictedLadyJohn’s。Iunderstoodhimthatitwashewhowasbored，hewhohadbeenpursued，heforwhomperversityhadbecomeadreadfulmenace，he，infine，whopleadedformyintervention。HewassowillingtotrustmetorelievehimofhiscompanionthatIthinkhewouldsimplyhaveboltedwithoutdeferringtomeifIhadnottakenmyprecautionsagainstit。Ihad，asithappened，anothermomentaryuseforhimthanthis：IwishedontheonehandnottolosehimandontheothernottoloseLadyJohn，thoughIhadquicklyenoughguessedthisbrilliantwoman’srealpreference，ofwhichitinfactsoonbecamemylivelywishtoseetheproof。Theunionofthesetwowastooartificialformenotalreadytohaveconnectedwithittheserviceitmightrender，inherladyship’sview，tothatundetectedcultivation，onherpart，ofasentimentforGilbertLongwhich，throughhisfeignedresponsetoit，fittedsocompletelytotheotherpiecesinmycollection。Toseeallthiswasatthetime，Iremember，tobeasinhumanlyamusedasifonehadfoundonecouldcreatesomething。IhadcreatednothingbutaclueortwotothelargercomprehensionIstillneeded，yetIpositivelyfoundmyselfovertakenbyamildartisticglow。Whathadoccurredwasthat，formyfulldemonstration，IneededLong，andthat，bythesamestroke，IbecamesureIshouldcertainlygethimbytemporisingalittle。
LadyJohnwasinlovewithhimandhadkickedup，tosavehercredit，thedustofafictiverelationwithanotherman——therelationoneofmereartificeandthemanoneinherencouragementofwhomnobodywouldbelieve。