“I knew it—it could not have been otherwise,” exclaimed the blue belle enthusiastically.
The youngest Miss Simper spoke not, but her appealing glance, and a slight exhibition of the pearl-like teeth, seemed to hint that some mysterious increase of her secret sorrow might be expected in the event of Oaklands' refusing to communicate the results of his penetration.
“As I make it out,” said Harry, “the first scene was Inn, the second Constancy, and the third Inconstancy.”
“Ah! that wretch John, he was the Inconstancy,” observed the eldest Miss Simper, “marrying for money!—the creature!—such baseness 1 but how delightfully that dear, clever Mr. Lawless acted; he made love with such naïve simplicity, too; he is quite irresistible.”
“I shall take care to let him know your flattering opinion,” returned Oaklands with a faint attempt at a smile, while the gloom on his brow grew deeper, and the Misses Simper were in their turn deserted; the eldest gaining this slight addition to her worldly knowledge, viz., that it is not always prudent to praise one friend to another, unless you happen to be a little more behind the scenes than had been the case in the present instance.
“Umph! Frank Fairlegh, where are you? come here, boy,” said Mr. Frampton, seizing one of my buttons, and towing me thereby into a corner. “Pretty girl, your sister Fanny—nice girl, too—umph!”
“I am very glad she pleases you, sir,” replied I; “as you become better acquainted with her, you will find that she is as good as she looks—if you like her now, you will soon grow very fond of her—everybody becomes fond of Fanny.”
“Umph! I can see one who is, at all events. Pray, sir, do you mean to let your sister marry that good-natured, well-disposed, harum-scarum young fool, Lawless?”
“This is a matter I leave entirely to themselves; if Lawless wishes to marry Fanny, and she likes him well enough to accept him, and his parents approve of the arrangement, I shall make no objection: it would be a very good match for her.”
“Umph! yes—she would make a very nice addition to his stud,” returned Mr. Frampton, in a more sarcastic tone than I had ever heard him use before. “What do you suppose are the girl's own wishes? is she willing to be Empress of the Stable?”