“They have all had their full influence upon my friend. And Arthur—good, silly fellow!—is not avaricious. Besides, he has a handsome property of his own; and I’m sure he’ll be delighted, happy to marry the young lady merely for herself.”
“That’s true love—Cupid, as you see him in the valentines, without any property,” said Jericho.
“Of course, my good friend, you will bestow a handsome outfit and”——
“To be sure. Half-a-dozen of every thing,” said Jericho, and he laughed hugely at the joke: and the Man-Tamer, as in friendship bound, laughed his best in concert.
“Well, I have fulfilled my mission, and saved the awkwardness of my friend. You object not to the day, whenever it may be? And for the dowry, I mean the outfit, we who know your heart, may safely leave that to you. Yes, yes; Arthur, my good soft friend, Arthur, is a happy man. Once I fondly thought that my dear sister—however”—and Candituft sighed—“it was not to be. And now, sir”—
“Yes,” cried Jericho, quite prepared for what was coming. “Yes; go on.”
“You may have remarked my affection for Miss Monica? You must have remarked it?”
“I beg a thousand pardons,” said the wag Jericho, “but it has quite escaped me.”
Candituft wanly smiled. The jest was ill-timed; nevertheless he could not resent it from his friend. Therefore, he smiled and proceeded. “In a word, my dear sir, we have come to the sweet conclusion that we were made for one another.”
“Dear me! Well, how lucky you should have met! I dare say, now”—and the cruel wit, with all his teeth and talons, played with the timid, mouse-like heart of his victim—“I dare say, now, there are thousands of people made for one another, at the present moment wandering about the world without a chance of coming together. Indeed, seeing how big the world is, and how very few people are really made to match, it’s next to a miracle that they should ever meet at all. Eh?”