Impossible to
tell what they meant." The young man laughed rather disagreeably as he
went off to bed.
"Look here, Ned," said Boulton, bringing a sympathetic hand down upon
his friend's shoulder, "don't you take any notice of what Tom Ridout
or any of his set may say. Of course every young fellow makes a fool
of himself _some time_, in _some_ direction; it's natural and proper,
and just what is expected of him. All is he shouldn't make a complete
fool of himself, and nobody believes that of you."
"Ugh!" said Edward, and relapsed into gloomy silence, from which he
awoke to find himself alone, with the candle sputtering in its socket.
He took off his boots, and threw one of them viciously, but with
unerring aim, at the expiring light, and so went despondently to bed.
"Our fair friend appears to be quite as susceptible to the remarks
made upon his wild-wood acquaintance as to the wild-wood acquaintance
herself." This was the observation of Ridout, as he and Boulton went
the following morning to investigate the trap they had set.
"Don't be a fool, Tom," said Boulton, with a perfectly unruffled face
and tone, "that is, any more of one than you can help.
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