All at once a brighter light illumined the fair lady's face, and she addressed herself to speak, first uttering a modest cough-- "Suppose I suggest a plan of finding out, sir," she said; "we might find easily." "Oh, ma'am! how ?" "Will you follow my advice ?" "Yes, ma'am--of course.

I mean if it's right.

Excuse me, I did not mean--what was your advice, ma'am ?" stammered Verty.
The lady smiled, and did not seem at all offended at Verty's qualification.
"It may appear singular to you at first," Miss Sallianna said; "but my advice is, that you appear to make love--to pay attentions to--somebody else for a short time." "Attentions, ma'am ?" "Seem to like some other lady better than Redbud." "Oh, but that would not be right." "Why ?" "Because I don't." Miss Sallianna smiled.
"I don't want you to change at all, Mr.Verty," she said; "only to take this _modus addendi_, which is the Greek for _way_,--to take this way to find out.

I would not advise it, of course, if it was wrong, and it is the best thing you could do, indeed." Verty strongly combated this plan, but was met at every turn, by Miss Sallianna, with ready logic; and the result, as is almost always the case when men have the temerity to argue with ladies, was a total defeat.

Verty was convinced, or _talked obtuse_ upon the subject, and with many misgivings, acquiesced in Miss Sallianna's plan.
That lady then went on in a sly and careful manner--possibly _diplomatic_ would be the polite word--to suggest herself as the most proper object of Verty's experiment.