She had told both her father and mother very plainly that it behoved her to be in London at this time of the year that she might—­look for a husband.  She had not hesitated in declaring her purpose; and that purpose, together with the means of carrying it out, had not appeared to them to be unreasonable.  She wanted to be settled in life.  She had meant, when she first started on her career, to have a lord;—­but lords are scarce.  She was herself not very highly born, not very highly gifted, not very lovely, not very pleasant, and she had no fortune.  She had long made up her mind that she could do without a lord, but that she must get a commoner of the proper sort.  He must be a man with a place...