"You see how busy I am, Walter, and until I am disengaged, look over these new engravings. They are just from Paris," said the lady.
"I see, dear mother, that you have the affairs of a nation on your shoulders. I hope, for your health's sake, you have no other momentous concerns to look after this morning," he said, playfully.
"One more, Walter; my goldfinch is half-starved, and the mocking-bird is really on his dignity, because he has not had egg and lettuce for his breakfast; but, apropos, what success had you with old Stillinghast?"
"Faith, mother, it is hard to tell. He is a tough personage to deal with. I got in, however, and saw the two nieces."
"Well?"
"One of them is extremely beautiful. I shall have no objections to making her Mrs. Jerrold, provided—"
"The old miser makes her his heiress," interrupted Mrs. Jerrold.
"Exactly. The other one is a nice, graceful, little thing, with such a pair of eyes! She has a spirit of her own, too, I fancy."
"I have been thinking over our plan to-day, and it really seems to be a feasible one, Walter, if you can only win Mr. Stillinghast's confidence. How do they live?"
"I presume they consider it comfortable;—it would be miserable to me. The old man appeared quite flattered this morning, when I got him to invest that money for me; and shook my hand warmly when I inveighed against the present mania for speculating in fancy stocks."