“Eh! yes, of course it is,” was the reply; “haven't I been talking about her for the last ten minutes? You are growing stupid all at once; did you think it was your mother I meant?”
“Not exactly,” replied I, smiling; “but have you ever considered what Lord Cashingtown would say to your marrying a poor clergyman's daughter?”
“What! my governor? oh! he'd be so delighted to get me married at any price, that he would not care who it was to, so that she was a lady. He knows how I shirk female society in general, and he is afraid I shall break my neck some of these fine days, and leave him the honour of being the last Lord Cashingtown as well as the first.”
“And may I ask whether you imagine your suit likely to be favourably received by the young lady herself?”
“Eh! why, you see it's not so easy to tell; I'm not used to the ways of women, exactly. Now with horses I know every action, and can guess what they'd be up to in a minute; |for instance, if they prick up their ears, one may expect a shy, when they lay them back you may look out for a bite or a kick; but, unluckily, women have not got movable ears.”
“No,” replied I, laughing at this singular regret; “they contrive to make their eyes answer nearly the same purpose, though. Well, Lawless, my answer is this—I cannot pretend to judge whether you and my sister are so constituted as to increase each other's happiness by becoming man and wife; that is a point I must leave to her to decide; she is no longer a child, and her destiny shall be placed in her own hands; but I think I may venture to say that if your parents are willing to receive her, and she is pleased to accept you, you need not fear any opposition on the part of my mother or myself.”
“That's the time of day,” exclaimed Lawless, rubbing his hands with glee, “this is something like doing business; oh! it's jolly fun to be in love, after all. Then everything depends upon Fanny now; but how am I to find out whether she will have me or not? eh? that's another sell.”
“Ask her,” replied I; and, turning down a different path, I left him to deliberate upon this knotty point in solitude.
As I walked towards home my meditations assumed a somewhat gloomy colouring. The matter was no longer doubtful, Lawless was Fanny's declared suitor; this, as he had himself observed, was something like doing business. Instead of planning with my mother how we could prevent the affair from going any farther, I must now inform her of his offer, and find out whether she could give me any clue as to the state of Fanny's affections. And now that Lawless's intentions were certain, and that it appeared by no means improbable he might succeed in obtaining Fanny's hand, a feeling of repugnance came over me, and I began to think Mr. Frampton was right, and that my sister was formed for better things than to be the companion for life of such a man as Lawless. From a reverie which thoughts like these had engendered, I was aroused by Harry Oaklands' favourite Scotch terrier, which attracted my attention by jumping and fawning upon me, and on raising my eyes I perceived the figure of his master, leaning, with folded arms, against the trunk of an old tree. As we exchanged salutations I was struck by an unusual air of dejection both in his manner and appearance. “You are looking ill and miserable this morning, Harry; is your side painful?” inquired I anxiously.
“No,” was the reply, “I believe it is doing well enough; Ellis says so;” he paused, and then resumed in a low hurried voice, “Frank, I am going abroad.”