ABSTRACT
Philip Dendraith had never been troubled with shyness. He did not hesitate to present himself every day at Clevedon, openly telling his hostess that her house had so many attractions to offer an idle man that she must take the consequences. He made no secret of his desire for Viola’s society, singling her out with flattering persistence, and putting forth all his powers of fascination. She had begun to exert a very potent spell over him, rather to his own dismay. As for Viola, her manner was already improving under the influence of the new experience. The first coat of paint had been laid on, as her aunt said.
