“Do I understand, then, that from the time of your first proposals she was willing to marry Sir Denzil Warner?”
“She was not willing.”
“I would have wagered as much. Did you fathom her reason for declining so proper an alliance?”
“I did not trouble myself about her reasons. I knew that time would wear them away.”
“And I doubt you trusted to a father’s authority?”
“No, sir. I promised my daughter that I would not force her inclinations.”
“But you used all methods of persuasion. How long was it before July the 4th that Mrs. Angela consented to marry Sir Denzil?”
“I cannot be over precise upon that point. I have no record of the date.”
“But you have the faculty of memory, sir; and this is a point which a father would not easily forget.”
“It may have been a fortnight before.”