“Let him convert her, I say;” repeated Strong.  “What is your objection to that, aunt Sarah?”

“My objection is that the whole family is only a drove of mules,” said Mrs. Murray.  “Poor Mr. Hazard does not know what he is undertaking.”

“Is Esther very much in love?” asked Strong.

“You know her well enough to know that she would never have accepted him if she were not;” replied Mrs. Murray.  “He has hunted her down when she was unhappy, and he is going to make her more unhappy still.”

“I guess you’re right,” said Strong, seriously.  “The struggle is going to tear both their poor little hearts out; but what can we do about it?  None of us are to blame.”

“Ah, George!” exclaimed his aunt.  “You are the one most to blame.  You should have married Esther yourself, and you had not wit enough to see that while you went dancing round the world, as though such women were plenty as your old fossil toads, the only woman you will ever meet who could have made you happy, was slipping through your fingers, and you hadn’t the strength to hold her.”

“I own it, aunt Sarah!” said George, and this time he spoke seriously enough to satisfy her.  “If I could have fallen in love with Esther and she with me, I believe it would have been better for both of us than that she should marry a high-church parson and I go on digging bones; but some things are too obvious.  You can’t get a spark without some break in your conductor.  I was ready enough to fall in love with Esther, but one can’t do that kind of thing in cold blood.”

“Well,” said Mrs. Murray with a sigh.  “You have lost her now, and Mr. Hazard will lose her too.  You and he and all your friends are a sort of clever children.  We are always expecting you to do something worth doing, and it never comes.  You are a sort of water-color, worsted-work, bric-a-brac, washed-out geniuses, just big enough and strong enough to want to do something and never carry it through.  I am heartily tired of the whole lot of you, and now I must set to work and get these two girls out of your hands.”

“Do you mean to break up this engagement?” asked Strong, who was used to his aunt’s criticisms and never answered them.

“The engagement will break itself up,” replied his aunt.  “It will have to be kept private for a few weeks on account of her father’s death and her mourning, and you will see that it never will be announced.  If I can, I shall certainly do all in my power to break it up.”

“You will?” said Strong.  “Well!  I mean to do just the contrary.  If Esther wants Hazard she shall have him, if I can help her.  Why not?  Hazard is a good fellow, and will make her a good husband.  I have no fault to find with him except that he poaches outside his preserves.  He has poached this time to some purpose, but if the parish can stand it, I can.”

“The parish cannot stand it,” said Mrs. Murray.  “They are saying very ugly things already about Esther.”