“You have a greater resemblance of your father, Miss Milner, than I imagined you had from report: I did not expect to find you so like him.”
“Nor did I, Mr. Dorriforth, expect to find you any thing like what you are.”
“No?—pray what did you expect to find me?”
“I expected to find you an elderly man, and a plain man.”
This was spoken in an artless manner, but in a tone which obviously declared she thought her guardian young and handsome. He replied, but not without some little embarrassment, “A plain man you shall find me in all my actions.”
“Then your actions are to contradict your appearance.”
For in what she said, Miss Milner had the quality peculiar to wits, of hazarding the thought that first occurs, which thought, is generally truth. On this, he paid her a compliment in return.
“You, Miss Milner, I should suppose, must be a very bad judge of what is plain, and what is not.”
“How so?”
“Because I am sure you will readily own you do not think yourself handsome; and allowing that, you instantly want judgment.”