“Very much,” answered the Dean. “He seems a quiet, modest young man.”
“I’m glad of that, father, because I’m engaged to be married to him.”
The Dean gasped; the shock was so great that for a moment he could not speak, and then he began to tremble. Miss Langton watched him anxiously.
“It’s impossible, Bella,” he muttered at last. “You must be joking.”
“Why?”
“He’s twenty years younger than you.”
“Yes, that’s true. I should never have thought of marriage only he has consumption. I want to be his nurse more than his wife.”
“But he isn’t a gentleman,” said the Dean, looking at her gravely.
“Father, how can you say that!” cried Bella indignantly, reddening. “I’ve never met anyone with such a gentle soul. He’s all goodness and purity.”
“Women know nothing about such things. They can never tell if a man’s a gentleman or not. What was his father?”