“Yes,” he answered wearily; “anything before a fresh public discussion of my poor Sophy’s death.”
“Oh! Who is the lady?”
“There is only one lady possible.”
“Marion Glamis?”
“I thought you could say ‘who’.”
“I hope to heaven you will never marry that woman! She is false from head to foot. I would rather see another fisher-girl here than Marion Glamis.”
“You yourself have made it impossible for me to marry any one but Marion; though, believe me, if I could find another ‘fisher-girl’ like Sophy, I would defy everything, and gladly and proudly marry her to-morrow.”
“That is understood; you need not reiterate. I see through Miss Glamis now, the deceitful, ungrateful creature!”
“Mother, I am going to marry Miss Glamis. You must teach yourself to speak respectfully of her.”
“I hate her worse than I hated Sophy. I am the most wretched of women;” and her air of misery was so genuine and hopeless that it hurt Archie very sensibly.