“I hope so—oh, I’m sure so!” cried Gertrude, with the tears in her eyes. “I shall try so hard to make him happy.”
“That settles it.”
“Mrs Hampton!”
“Yes, my dear; that settles it. If you’ve got to force yourself to be happy, and will have to try so hard, why, it will all be a failure, so give it up.”
“But Mr Harrington’s wishes!”
“Bother Mr Harrington’s wishes! He was a good eccentric old man, but he didn’t know everything. He quarrelled with his son because they were both obstinate, and when he grew older he repented, and made up his mind to do to his grandson what he had omitted to do to his son. He has made him rich, and to make him happy he told you to marry him: but it will not do, my dear—it will not do.”
“Mrs Hampton!”
“I can’t help it, my child. Marry in haste and repent at leisure; but you shan’t run headlong into misery without Rachel Hampton saying a word of warning.”
“I feel that it is my duty to the dead,” cried Gertrude.
“Duty! Ha! Then you love some one else—not that dreadful Saul Harrington?”