For morning, noon, and night, Madame was harping upon the rumoured match, and spoke against it with inexhaustible eloquence.
Miss Clara, however, took but little notice of her mother’s ceaseless prattle about the dignity, grandeur, and importance of “the Haylark’s,” but quietly bore all with meekness and resignation, and loved Charley more and more for all the railings hourly thrown out against him.
As Sir Richard had been fully informed of the true state of things by Dame Worthington, he sought an opportunity of speaking to Clara alone.
The girl’s manner was so modest and genuine, and she confessed her attachment for the young man with so much artlessness that old Sir Richard Warbeck was strongly prepossessed in her favour, and determined to do all in his power to reconcile Mistress Haylark to the match.
What with presents, great gallantry of manner, and marked deference to all her opinions on ordinary topics, he so far won upon the proud lady that her resolution to maintain the honour of “the Haylarks” melted away like ice before his eloquence and earnestness.
And after holding out for some time, “for the sake of form,” and in maintenance of her much self-styled “firmness,” she consented to the match, and began to bustle about in making suitable preparations for it.
The intended marriage was kept as secret as possible, yet many female acquaintances soon became aware of the fact by some unknown means.
And rumour had it that when Miss Josephine Smith, next door, heard of the approaching event, through the tattling of servants over the back-yard wall, she was seized with a sudden fit of hysterics, and gave vent to her disappointment and chagrin, in all manner of double-meaning phrases, and called Miss Clara everything that was unkind.
Dame Worthington Was literally beside herself.
She knew not what to do from day to day.