“I hope, Charles, I have too much pride to press any proposal that may be disagreeable to her; I rather think I have. But have you, Charles, any reason to suppose that she should not like me?”
“Why, from what you have already hinted, Harry, you ought to be the best judge of that yourself.”
“Well, I think so, too. I am not in the habit of walking blindfold into any adventure, especially one so important as this. Trust to my address, my dear fellow,” he added, with a confident smile, “and, believe me, you shall soon see her your sister-in-law.”
“And I shall be delighted at it, Harry,” said his sister; “so go on and prosper. If you get her you will get a treasure, setting her property out of the question.”
“Her property!” ejaculated Mrs. Lindsay; “but no matter; we shall see. I can speak sweetly enough when I wish.”
“I wish to God you would try it oftener, then,” said her husband; “but I trust that during this visit of yours you will not give way to your precious temper and insult them at the outset. Don't tie a knot with your tongue that you can't unravel with your teeth. Be quiet, now; I didn't speak to raise the devil and draw on a tempest—only let us have a glass of punch, till Charley and I drink success to Harry.”
The next day Mrs. Lindsay ordered the car, and proceeded to pay her intended visit to the Goodwins. She had arrived pretty near the house, when two of Goodwin's men, who were driving his cows to a grazing field on the other side of the road by which she was approaching, having noticed and recognized her, immediately turned them back and drove them into a paddock enclosed by trees, where they were completely out of her sight.
“Devil blow her, east and west!” said one of them. “What brings her across us now that we have the cattle wid us? and doesn't all the world know that she'd lave them sick and sore wid one glance of her unlucky eye. I hope in God she didn't see them, the thief o' the devil that she is.”
“She can't see them now, the cratures,” replied the other; “and may the devil knock the light out of her eyes at any rate,” he added, “for sure, they say it's the light of hell that's in them.”
“Well, when she goes there she'll be able to see her way, and sure that'll be one comfort,” replied his companion; “but in the mane time, if anything happens the cows—poor bastes—we'll know the rason of it.”