She had the power of keeping her temper even in family
differences, and hence was regarded as a very model of wisdom, prudence
and _tact_, the last far the first in the consideration of her
judges. The young of her acquaintance fled to her for help in need, and
she gave them no hard words, but generally more counsel than
comfort--always, however, the best she had, which was of Polonius' kind,
an essence of wise selfishness, so far as selfishness can be wise, with
a strong dash of self-respect, nowise the more sparing that it was
independent of desert. The good man would find it rather difficult to
respect himself were he to try; his gaze is upward to the one good; but
had it been possible for such a distinction to enter Miss Vavasor's
house, it would have been only to be straightway dismissed. She was
devoted to her nephew, as she counted devotion, but would see that he
made a correspondent return.
When Vavasor reached their encampment in the Imperial Hotel, he went to
his own room, got out his Russia-leather despatch-box, half-filled with
songs and occasional verses, which he never travelled without, and set
himself to see what he could do with the dog-fish--in what kind of
poetic jelly, that is, he could enclose his shark-like mouth and evil
look.
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