"You cannot love so suddenly, sir! This is a young man's fancy!"
"Indeed, no! I am in love with her beauty, her heart, and her noble character. Can you blame me?"
"No! It is natural that you should love so fine a creature. But so soon--so soon! Ay, there's the rub, my lord! Easy in--easy out!"
"My dear vicar, if you had constructed an ideal, and suddenly found it realized in the flesh, would you not fall in love with it forthwith?"
"Probably, my lord--probably!"
"Well, that is what I have done. For years I have sought a woman like Meg, in the hope of making her my wife. Now I have found her, I am not inclined to let her go."
"But your rank--your relatives."
"A fig for both, my dear sir. I shall woo, and, I hope, win, under the name of Dan, and as to my relatives, I can settle with them. Believe me, Mr. Jarner, Meg will make a noble Countess of Ardleigh."
"That is true!--that is true! A heart of gold, my lord--of gold unalloyed!"
"From what I have seen of her, from what you have told me of her, I see well that I can find no better mate. If she will accept me as her husband, vicar, I shall feel proud and happy. You see, sir, the gipsy's prophecy is coming true, after all."