Lady Inskip was one of the most skilled and to be honoured of her class. Not only did she lead Pringle up to the point—but, knowing his nervousness, she also saved him the trouble of coming to a declaration. She did it for him herself, and this is how it happened.
She could be very confidential, you know, and was well fitted to assume the maternal rôle, and “talk as a mother myself,” whenever it was required of her. She had once before done so to Pringle on Lizzie’s account, as was mentioned in a former chapter; so nothing was more easy and graceful than to assume the same rôle now in his own interests while talking to himself. She determined to make the proposal for him, as he was too shy to make it himself; although in so doing, she spoilt considerable hopes of fun at the “fast” Carry’s part, who had declared over and over again in the family circle that she “would give worlds to see the mild parson pop,” provoking a mild “how can you be so absurd, Carry!” from Laura, who yet could not prevent a feeble smile at the possibility of such a tableau, and “you ought to be ashamed of yourself, miss!” from her mother; while the young imp, Sir Mortimer, gave vent to a triumphant war whoop, and declared that it would be “awful larks! to see Pringle on his knees!” The darling, naughty boy, to be sure! When the campaigner perceived from sundry unmistakable symptoms that things had been brought to a crisis, she prepared to act.
One day, after Pringle had been more bashful and nervous than ever, although still very attentive to Laura, when there had been some weeks of intercourse between the pair since the first descent on Bigton, Lady Inskip “button-holed” him as he was on his way out, and instead of letting him mount his pony at the gate, entreated him to walk a bit down the road with her, as she had something important to say. Pringle, more bashfully still, assented, and passing the bridle of the dapple-grey through his arm, he and the campaigner sauntered off in close confab, watched from the windows of Laburnum Cottage by the young ladies and Mortimer, who seriously wondered what was “up”—one must use slang sometimes; it is so expressive in these very slangy days.
“My dear Mr Pringle,” began the wily campaigner, “I take a great interest in you, in quite a motherly way, indeed; and you will excuse me speaking on a very delicate matter to you?”
“Oh! certainly, Lady Inskip, certainly—anything you know,” he stammered, in reply, blushing a rosy red, even beneath his budding whiskers of auburn hue.
“Well, then, my dear Mr Pringle, I have to speak to you about Laura. I am her mother, and it seems strange in me to speak to you; but I look upon you as a son, and I wish I could see things arranged between you. The darling girl is getting quite thin and pale, and this prolonged suspense is more than she can bear. And I must ask you in the most—that is—my dear Mr Pringle, I think your feelings are interested, and—”
“Precisely so, Lady Inskip; just what I wanted to say, only I could not say it. Would Laura, eh?—your daughter, do you think, eh?” and he looked nervously into the campaigner’s face.
“I think she will consent. I am so glad, my dear young friend; I will speak to her for you, and it will be all arranged, if you will come in again this evening. I have long wished to see my angel Laura married to a Christian gentleman, and since I have known you, you have fulfilled everything which I could have hoped for her to find in a husband”—that he had, with regard to position and competency, besides being easily managed—“and, my dear Mr Pringle, I will tell Laura at once; and this is the happiest moment in my life!”
“Certainly, Lady Inskip, certainly!” stammered the young incumbent, as he shook hands joyfully with his future mother-in-law; and in the evening he came round again to Laburnum Cottage. Laura received him with a faint blush and a timid pressure of his hand, so it was an understood thing that they were regularly engaged.
After it was all settled, Pringle lost a good deal of his prior bashfulness; and both Carry and young Sir Mortimer regarded him as a very jolly sort of brother-in-law to have. The wedding was fixed for an early date in the following year, after a probationary engagement of some three months.