“Am I to understand,” asked Mr. Morville, “that the Earl is about to make an offer for Drusilla?”
“Good gracious, my dear, how you do run on!” exclaimed his wife. “For anything I know, St. Erth has no such notion in his head! You may be sure that I was careful not to seem to be in the least conscious when I was talking to Drusilla. That would never do! Merely, I suspect that her heart may not be untouched.”
“If,” said Mr. Morville, asserting himself, “you have reason to suppose that St. Erth has been trifling with Drusilla — ”
“Nothing of the sort! From what I have learnt today, I am persuaded that he is by far too great a gentleman to raise expectations he has no intention of fulfilling. Besides, men never do trifle with Drusilla,” added Mrs. Morville, in a voice not wholly free from regret.
“It appears to me,” said her spouse, pointedly opening his book, “that you are making a piece of work about nothing, my dear!”
“We shall see! Only, if I am right, I do beg of you, my dear sir, that you will not allow a foolish scruple to stand in the way of your daughter’s happiness!”
“It would be quite against my principles to coerce Drusilla in any way. Or, indeed, any of my children!”
“Very true, and it exactly illustrates what I said to you about theory and practice! For when poor Jack fell into the clutches of that Female, and would have married her had it not been for — ”
“That,” interrupted Mr. Morville, “was a different matter!”
“Of course it was, my love, and very properly you behaved, as Jack himself would now be the first to acknowledge!”