‘Look here, Major Tifto,’ said Silverbridge; ’if you are dissatisfied, you and I can easily separate ourselves.’

‘I am not dissatisfied,’ said the little man, almost crying.

’Then don’t talk as though you were.  As to Silverbridge, I shall not want you there.  When I asked you I was only thinking what would be pleasant to both of us; but since that I have remembered that business must be business.’  Even this did not reconcile the angry little man, who as he turned away declared himself within his own little bosom that he would ’take it out of Silverbridge for that.’

Lord Silverbridge and Tregear went down to the borough together, and on the journey something was said about Lady Mary,—­and something also about Lady Mabel.  ‘From the first, you know,’ said Lady Mary’s brother, ‘I never thought it would answer.’

‘Why not answer?’

’Because I knew the governor would not have it.  Money and rank and those sort of things are not particular charming to me.  But still things should go together.  It is all very silly for you and me to be pals, but of course it will be expected that Mary should marry some—­’

‘Some swell?’

‘Some swell if you would have it.’

‘You mean to call yourself a swell.’

‘Yes I do,’ said Silverbridge, with considerable resolution.  ’You ought not to make yourself disagreeable, because you understand all about it as well as anybody.  Chance has me the eldest son of a Duke and heir to an enormous fortune.  Chance has made my sister the daughter of a Duke, and an heiress also.  My intimacy ought to be proof at any rate to you that I don’t on that account set myself up above other fellows.  But when you come to talk of marriage of course it is a serious thing.’

’But you have told me more than once that you have no objection on your own score.’

‘Nor have I.’

‘You are only saying what the Duke will think.’

’I am telling you that it is impossible, and I told you so before.  You and she will be kept apart, and so—­’

‘And so she’ll forget me.’

‘Something of that kind.’

’Of course I have to trust her for that.  If she forgets me, well and good.’

’She needn’t forget you.  Lord bless me! you talk as though the thing were not done every day.  You’ll hear some morning that she is going to marry some fellow who has a lot of money and a good position; and what difference will it make then whether she has forgotten you or no?  It might almost have been supposed that the young man had been acquainted with his mother’s history.’

After this there was a pause, and there arose some conversation about other things, and a cigar was smoked.  Then Tregear returned once more to the subject.  ’There is one thing I wish to say about it all.’

‘What is that?’

’I want you to understand that nothing else will turn me away from my intention but such a marriage on her part as that of which you speak.  Nothing that your father can do will turn me.’