“It was a matter of no moment. He came
to see Lady Julia De Guest.”
“Yes; but he came about that man Crosbie.”
“I suppose he did.”
“Why have you let that girl be such a fool?
You’ll find he’ll play her some knave’s
trick.”
“Oh dear, no.”
“And why should she want to marry such a man
as that?”
“He’s quite a gentleman, you know, and
very much thought of in the world. It won’t
be at all bad for her, poor thing. It is so very
hard for a girl to get married nowadays without money.”
“And so they’re to take up with anybody.
As far as I can see, this is a worse affair than that
of Amelia.”
“Amelia has done very well, my dear.”
“Oh, if you call it doing well for your girls;
I don’t. I call it doing uncommon badly;
about as bad as they well can do. But it’s
your affair. I have never meddled with them,
and don’t intend to do it now.”
“I really think she’ll be happy, and she
is devotedly attached to the young man.”
“Devotedly attached to the young man!”
The tone and manner in which the earl repeated these
words were such as to warrant an opinion that his
lordship might have done very well on the stage had
his attention been called to that profession.
“It makes me sick to hear people talk in that
way. She wants to get married, and she’s
a fool for her pains;—I can’t help
that; only remember that I’ll have no nonsense
here about that other girl. If he gives me trouble
of that sort, by ——, I’ll
be the death of him. When is the marriage to be?”
“They talk of February.”
“I won’t have any tomfoolery and expense.
If she chooses to marry a clerk in an office, she
shall marry him as clerks are married.”
“He’ll be the secretary before that, de
Courcy.”
“What difference does that make? Secretary,
indeed! What sort of men do you suppose secretaries
are? A beggar that came from nobody knows where!
I won’t have any tomfoolery;—d’ye
hear?” Whereupon the countess said that she
did hear, and soon afterwards managed to escape.
The valet then took his turn; and repeated, after his
hour of service, that “Old Nick” in his
tantrums had been more like the Prince of Darkness
than ever.
“On My Honour, I Do Not Understand It”
In the meantime Lady Alexandrina endeavoured to realise
to herself all the advantages and disadvantages of
her own position. She was not possessed of strong
affections, nor of depth of character, nor of high
purpose; but she was no fool, nor was she devoid of
principle. She had asked herself many times whether
her present life was so happy as to make her think
that a permanent continuance in it would suffice for
her desires, and she had always replied to herself
that she would fain change to some other life if it
were possible. She had also questioned herself
as to her rank, of which she was quite sufficiently
