"At all events it was a compliment."
"Be it so! If he would accept his rejection as final I should not mind, but on the two or three occasions since when we have met he has tried to introduce the subject again. He does not seem willing to take no for an answer."
"Why not reconsider the matter, Grace? He is rich——"
"As if I cared for that."
"Well, he is fashionable, and is met everywhere in society. He would give his wife a desirable position."
"Will that compensate for the lack of love, Aunt Caroline?"
"Perhaps not, but love would come in time."
"Love must come before marriage in my case, Aunt Caroline. With Major Ashton it would never come afterward."
"You speak very decidedly, Grace."
"No more so than I feel. To be quite frank with you, I am more than indifferent to Major Ashton. I positively dislike him."