'Yes, but her father. Have you said anything to him about this?'
'Not a word. I waited until I could talk of it to you, and get your promise to help me.'
'Of course I'll help you, if I can. But tell me, how can I? What do you want me to do? Shall I speak to Sir Rupert?'
'If you would speak to him after, I should be awfully glad. But I don't so much mind about him just yet; I want you to speak to her!'
'To Miss Langley? To ask her to marry you?'
'That's about what it comes to,' Hamilton said courageously.
'But, my dear love-sick youth, would you not much rather woo and win the girl for yourself?'
'What I am afraid of,' Hamilton said gravely, 'is that she would pretend not to take me seriously. She would laugh and turn me into ridicule, and try to make fun of the whole thing. But if you tell her that it is positively serious and a business of life and death with me, then she will believe you, and she must take it seriously and give you a serious answer, or at least promise to give me a serious answer.'
'This is the oddest way of love-making, Hamilton.'
'I don't know,' Hamilton said; 'we have Shakespeare's authority for it, haven't we? Didn't Don Pedro arrange for Claudio and Hero?'