It almost seemed as though he were trying to get a complete
moral ascendency over him, so as to make him a creature of his own.
He did not think it possible that he could go too far, and,
indeed, when I reflect upon my hero's folly and inexperience, there is
much to be said in excuse for the conclusion which Pryer came to.
As a matter of fact, however, it was not so. Ernest's faith in Pryer
had been too great to be shaken down all in a moment, but it had
been weakened lately more than once. Ernest had fought hard against
allowing himself to see this, nevertheless any third person who knew
the pair would have been able to see that the connection between the
two might end at any moment, for when the time for one of Ernest's
snipe-like changes of flight came, he was quick in making it; the
time, however, was not yet come, and the intimacy between the two
was apparently all that it had ever been. It was only that horrid
money business (so said Ernest to himself) that caused any
unpleasantness between them, and no doubt Pryer was right, and he,
Ernest, much too nervous. However, that might stand over for the
present.
In like manner, though he had received a shock by reason of his
conversation with Mr.
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