At this conjuncture, Mr Glowry entered, and sitting down near them,
said, 'I see how it is; and, as we are all sure to be miserable do
what we may, there is no need of taking pains to make one another more
so; therefore, with God's blessing and mine, there'--joining their
hands as he spoke.
Scythrop was not exactly prepared for this decisive step; but he could
only stammer out, 'Really, sir, you are too good;' and Mr Glowry
departed to bring Mr Hilary to ratify the act.
Now, whatever truth there may be in the theory of love and language,
of which we have so recently spoken, certain it is, that during Mr
Glowry's absence, which lasted half an hour, not a single word was
said by either Scythrop or Marionetta.
Mr Glowry returned with Mr Hilary, who was delighted at the prospect
of so advantageous an establishment for his orphan niece, of whom he
considered himself in some manner the guardian, and nothing remained,
as Mr Glowry observed, but to fix the day.
Marionetta blushed, and was silent. Scythrop was also silent for a
time, and at length hesitatingly said, 'My deal sir, your goodness
overpowers me; but really you are so precipitate.'
Now, this remark, if the young lady had made it, would, whether she
thought it or not--for sincerity is a thing of no account on these
occasions, nor indeed on any other, according to Mr Flosky--this
remark, if the young lady had made it, would have been perfectly
_comme il faut_; but, being made by the young gentleman, it was _toute
autre chose_, and was, indeed, in the eyes of his mistress, a most
heinous and irremissible offence.
Pages:
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80