Could shake the safe assurance of their state.—Spenser.
Besides the natural geniality and sociability of his disposition, which always moved General Lyon to bring his friends and relations about him, there were other and even stronger motives that urged him to invite Richard Hammond to remain at Old Lyon Hall. The old gentleman wanted to save “the unlucky dog from his friends,” and also he wanted to study him.
And as weeks and months of close companionship in the seclusion of the country house passed away, he did study him. And apparently the study was satisfactory.
All poor Dick’s impulses were altogether good. Indeed, it was through the very goodness of his nature that he so often came to grief.
Dick could not bear to say No; and not only ever to his friends, but not even to his enemies, for his salvation, Dick could not endure to inflict pain, not only ever upon good people but not even upon sinners. And these amiable traits in his character were used by evil-disposed people to his injury.
There was indeed so much of the woman in Dick’s gentle and lively nature that very few women could have loved him as Anna did. But then there was enough of the man in Anna’s nature to produce an equilibrium of the sexes in their union.
General Lyon noticed all this, and he noticed something else—namely, that though Dick and Anna certainly loved each other devotedly, they bore their probation with exemplary patience.
This touched the heart of the veteran, but still he would not shorten the time.
Moreover, he felt the infirmities of age creeping upon him, he knew that at his years life was extremely precarious, and he certainly wanted to see another generation of Lyons in lineal descent from himself before he should go home and be no more on earth.
Yet for all this he would not hasten the marriage of Dick and Anna.