Mrs. Reade looked at him with bright and friendly eyes. He was really taking it very well considering how badly he had been treated, and how extremely susceptible he was to indignities of this, or indeed any description. He certainly must be strangely in love with that perverse child, she thought—much more in love than she had ever expected to see him—to be able to put his wrongs in the background like this. He deserved to be helped.
And as far as human judgment was to be trusted, to help him would be to play Providence to Rachel.
"I will do what I can," she said kindly. "That is to say, I won't interfere, but I'll give you good advice whenever you do me the honour to ask for it."
"Thank you; I ask for it now. What do you advise me to do?"
She pondered a few moments, watching him thoughtfully.
"You are quite sure, once for all, that you think it worth while to throw yourself away on an ungrateful little monkey who doesn't appreciate you?"
"I'm quite sure I want to marry Rachel. I hope she will appreciate me, but if she doesn't—well, I want to marry her all the same."
"And are willing to take the consequences?"
"Oh, yes; I'm not afraid of consequences—once the wedding is over."
He smiled as he made this almost sacrilegious assertion, which implied a marital control of consequences that was offensive in the ears of the little woman, who liked to see husbands kept in their proper places.