The Spaniards have a proverb that smells of the stable, but applies to people like you and me: The man who washes his donkey's head, loses time and soap." Gore took his leave before Madeleine had time to grasp all the impudence of this last speech.

Not until she was fairly in bed that night did it suddenly flash on her mind that Mr.Gore had dared to caricature her as wasting time and soap on Mr.Ratcliffe.At first she was violently angry and then she laughed in spite of herself; there was truth in the portrait.

In secret, too, she was the less offended because she half thought that it had depended only on herself to make of Mr.Gore something more than a friend.

If she had overheard his parting words to Carrington, she would have had still more reason to think that a little jealousy of Ratcliffe's success sharpened the barb of Gore's enmity.
"Take care of Ratcliffe!" was his farewell; "he is a clever dog.

He has set his mark on Mrs.Lee.Look out that he doesn't walk off with her!" A little startled by this sudden confidence, Carrington could only ask what he could do to prevent it.
"Cats that go ratting, don't wear gloves," replied Gore, who always carried a Spanish proverb in his pocket.