"No, I don't think I am. There's only one thing makes me sorry. Helen Wilson is to stay at Miss G—'s another half, and she is my dearest friend. Poor dear Helen! You have heard me speak of her, Tom?"
"I should think so. Where were my ears else?"
"And you remember her, don't you?"
"Yes; of course. I remember her—down at Uncle Dick's when I was there, and came home with us—she and dear old Tincroft and Mrs. T. Yes, I remember her."
"I like her so much," continued Kitty; "and I wanted to bring her home with me these holidays, but Mr. Tincroft wouldn't hear of it. He couldn't spare her, he said. Ill-natured, wasn't it?"
And then from this topic of conversation, the brother and sister passed on to another, till it was time to finish their cruise.
Tom did "behave better in future." That is to say, he begun from this time to pay greater attentions to the young lady, who, without any choice on his part, or hers either, was marked out to be his future wife; that is to say, he went twice a week instead of once to her father's house at Camberwell, and devoted more time when he was there to her special society.
And, not to flatter Blanche, she was not unworthy of these attentions. She had made good use of her time since, two years before, our friend Tincroft had passed, in his own mind, so unfavourable a judgment respecting her. The rather pert and conceited and affected schoolgirl had changed into an attractive and well-behaved young woman; while her pale face and unformed figure had ripened, if not into a perfect Hebe, yet into a sufficiently blooming and graceful piece of humanity. Whether or not it was wise in this instance—or whether it is wise in any instance—for such an alliance as has been spoken of to be contracted by other parties as sponsors for those most deeply interested, remains to be proved.
The wisdom of this arrangement, however, seemed manifest to one, at any rate, of these contracting parties, when a certain event of importance occurred.
"Did you ever know anything like this?" Mrs. Tom Grigson wished to be told, holding up her hands in sheer astonishment, when she had made herself acquainted with the purport of a letter which her husband had handed to her across the breakfast-table.