'Indeed?' he said very gravely.
'I mean it,' answered Mrs. Rushmore.
There was a moment's silence, during which Mr. Van Torp revolved something in his always active brain, while Mrs. Rushmore looked at him as if she expected that he would doubt her determination to drag Logotheti to the matrimonial altar and marry him by sheer strength, rather than let Margaret be his unhappy bride. But Mr. Van Torp said something quite different.
'May I speak quite frankly, though we hardly know each other?' he asked.
'We are both Americans,' answered the good lady, with a grand national air. 'I should not expect anything but perfect frankness of you.' [{161}]
'The truth is, Mrs. Rushmore, that ever since I had the pleasure of knowing Miss Donne, I have wanted to marry her myself.'
'You!' cried the lady, surprised beyond measure, but greatly pleased.
'Yes,' said Mr. Van Torp quietly, 'and therefore, in my position, I can't give you an unbiassed opinion about Mr. Logotheti. I really can't.'
'Well,' said Mrs. Rushmore, 'I am surprised!'
While she was still surprised Mr. Van Torp tried to make some running, and asked an important question.