understoodeachother’slanguage；andcertainlyifhesharesmytaste，theirpeculiarityofcomplexionwillonlymakehimappreciatewhiteskinsthemore。’’Butyousaiditwasnoengagement，’growledthesquire。’Ifhethinksbetterofit，youwon’tkeephimtoit，willyou？’’Ifhewishestobreakitoff，IshallcertainlyadviseCynthiatobeequallywilling，that’sallIcansay。AndIseenoreasonfordiscussingtheaffairfurtheratpresent。IhavetoldyouhowmattersstandbecauseIpromisedyouIwould，ifIsawanythingofthiskindgoingon。Butinthepresentconditionofthings，wecanneithermakenormar；wecanonlywait。’Andhetookuphishattogo。Butthesquirewasdiscontent。’Don’tgo，Gibson。Don’ttakeoffenceatwhatI’vesaid，thoughI’msureIdon’tknowwhyyoushould。Whatisthegirllikeinherself？’’Idon’tknowwhatyoumean，’saidMrGibson。Buthedid；onlyhewasvexed，anddidnotchoosetounderstand。’Isshe—well，isshelikeyourMolly？—sweet—temperedandsensible—
withherglovesalwaysmended，andneataboutthefeet，andreadytodoanythingoneasksherjustasifdoingitWastheverythingshelikedbestintheworld？’MrGibson’sfacerelaxednow，andhecouldunderstandallthesquire’sbrokensentencesandunexplainedmeanings。’SheismuchprettierthanMollytobeginwith，andhasverywinningways。
Sheisalwayswell—dressedandsmart—looking，andIknowshehasnotmuchtospendonherclothes，andalwaysdoeswhatsheisaskedtodo，andisreadyenoughwithherpretty，livelyanswers。Idon’tthinkIeversawheroutoftemper；butthenI’mnotsureifshetakesthingskeenlytoheart，andacertainobtusenessoffeelinggoesagreatwaytowardsacharacterforgoodtemper，I’veobserved。AltogetherIthinkCynthiaisoneinahundred。’Thesquiremeditatedalittle。’YourMollyisoneinathousand，tomymind。Butthenyouseeshecomesofnofamilyatall，—andIdon’tsupposeshe’llhaveachanceofmuchmoney。’Thishesaidasifhewerethinkingaloud，andwithoutreferencetoMrGibson，butitnettledthelattergentleman，andherepliedsomewhatimpatiently，—’Well，butasthereisnoquestionofMollyinthisbusiness，Idon’tseetheuseofbringinghernamein，andconsideringeitherherfamilyorherfortune。’’No，tobesurenot，’saidthesquire，rousingup。’Mywitshadgonefarafield，andI’llownIwasonlythinkingwhatapityitwasshewouldnotdoforOsborne。Butofcourseit’soutofthequestion—outofthequestion。’’Yes，’saidMrGibson，’andifyouwillexcuseme，squire，Ireallymustgonow，andthenyou’llbeatlibertytosendyourwitsafielduninterrupted。’
Thistimehewasatthedoorbeforethesquirecalledhimback。Hestoodimpatientlyhittinghistop—bootswithhisriding—whip，waitingfortheinterminablelastwords。’Isay，Gibson，we’reoldfriends，andyou’reafoolifyoutakeanythingIsayasanoffence。MadamyourwifeandIdidnothititofftheonlytimeIeversawher。Iwon’tsayshewassilly，butIthinkoneofuswassilly，anditwasnotme。However，we’llpassthatover。Supposeyoubringher，andthisgirlCynthia（whichisasoutlandishaChristiannameasI’dwishtohear），andlittleMollyoutheretolunchsomeday，—I’mmoreatmyeaseinmyownhouse，—andI’mmoresuretobecivil，too。WeneedsaynothingaboutRoger，—neitherthelassnorme，—andyoukeepyourwife’stonguequiet，ifyoucan。Itwillonlybelikeacomplimenttoyouonyourmarriage，youknow—andnoonemusttakeitforanythingmore。
Mind，noallusionormentionofRoger，andthispieceoffolly。Ishallseethegirlthen，andIcanjudgeherformyself；for，asyousay，thatwillbethebestplan。Osbornewillbehere，too；andhe’salwaysinhiselementtalkingtowomen。Isometimesthinkhe’shalfawomanhimself，hespendssomuchmoneyandissounreasonable。’Thesquirewaspleasedwithhisownspeechandhisownthought，andsmiledalittleashefinishedspeaking。MrGibsonwasbothpleasedandamused；
andhesmiledtoo，anxiousashewastobegone。ThenextThursdaywassoonfixeduponasthedayonwhichMrGibsonwastobringhiswomankindouttotheHall。Hethoughtthatonthewholetheinterviewhadgoneoffagooddealbetterthanhehadexpected，andfeltratherproudoftheinvitationofwhichhewasthebearer。ThereforeMrsGibson’smannerofreceivingitwasanannoyancetohim。ShemeanwhilehadbeenconsideringherselfasaninjuredwomaneversincetheeveningofthedayofRoger’sdeparture。
whatbusinesshadanyonehadtospeakasifthechancesofOsborne’slifebeingprolongedwereinfinitelysmall，ifinfactthematterwasuncertain？
ShelikedOsborneextremely，muchbetterthanRoger；andwouldgladlyhaveschemedtosecurehimforCynthia，ifshehadnotshrunkfromthenotionofherdaughter’sbecomingawidow。ForifMrsGibsonhadeverfeltanythingacutelyitwasthedeathofMrKirkpatrick，and，amiablycallousasshewasinmostthings，sherecoiledfromexposingherdaughterwilfullytothesamekindofsufferingwhichsheherselfhadexperienced。ButifshehadonlyknownDrNicholls’opinionshewouldneverhavefavouredRoger’ssuit；never。AndthenMrGibsonhimself；whywashesocoldandreservedinhistreatmentofhersincethatnightofexplanation？shehaddonenothingwrong；yetshewastreatedasthoughshewereindisgrace。Andeverythingaboutthehousewasflatjustnow。SheevenmissedthelittleexcitementofRoger’svisits，andthewatchingofhisattentionstoCynthia。Cynthiatoowassilentenough；andasforMolly，shewasabsolutelydullandoutofspirits，astateofmindsoannoyingtoMrsGibsonjustnow，thatsheventedsomeofherdiscontentuponthepoorgirl，fromwhomshefearedneithercomplaintnorrepartee。
chapter36CHAPTERXXXVIDOMESTICDIPLOMACYTheeveningofthedayonwhichMrGibsonhadbeentoseethesquire，thethreewomenwerealoneinthedrawing—room，forMrGibsonhadhadalongroundandwasnotasyetcomein。Theyhadhadtowaitdinnerforhim；
andforsometimeafterhisreturntherewasnothingdoneorsaidbutwhatrelatedtothenecessarybusinessofeating。MrGibsonwas，perhaps，aswellsatisfiedwithhisday’sworkasanyofthefour；forthisvisittothesquirehadbeenweighingonhismindeversincehehadheardofthestateofthingsbetweenRogerandCynthia。Hedidnotlikethehavingtogoandtellofaloveaffairsosoonafterhehaddeclaredhisbeliefthatnosuchthingexisted；itwasaconfessionoffallibilitywhichisdistastefultomostmen。Ifthesquirehadnotbeenofsounsuspiciousandsimpleanature，hemighthavedrawnhisownconclusionsfromtheapparentconcealmentoffacts，andfeltdoubtfulofMrGibson’sperfecthonestyinthebusiness；
butbeingwhathewas，therewasnodangerofsuchunjustmisapprehension。
StillMrGibsonknewthehothastytemperhehadtodealwith，andhadexpectedmoreviolenceoflanguagethanhereallyencountered；andthelastarrangementbywhichCynthia，hermother，andMolly—who，asMrGibsonthoughttohimself，andsmiledatthethought，wassuretobea，peacemaker，andasweetenerofintercourse—weretogototheHallandmakeacquaintancewiththesquire，appearedlikeagreatsuccesstoMrGibson，forachievingwhichhetooknotalittlecredittohimself。Altogether，hewasmorecheerfulandblandthanhehadbeenformanydays；andwhenhecameupintothedrawing—roomforafewminutesafterdinner，beforegoingoutagaintoseehistown—patients，hewhistledalittleunderhisbreath，ashestoodwithhisbacktothefire，lookingatCynthia，andthinkingthathehadnotdoneherjusticewhendescribinghertothesquire。Nowthissoft，almosttunelesswhistling，wastoMrGibsonwhatpurringistoacat。Hecouldnomorehavedoneitwithananxiouscaseonhismind，orwhenhewasannoyedbyhumanfolly，orwhenhewashungry，thanhecouldhaveflownthroughtheair。Mollyknewallthisbyinstinct，andwashappywithoutbeingawareofit，assoonassheheardthelowwhistlewhichwasnomusicafterall。ButMrsGibsondidnotlikethistrickofherhusband’s；itwasnotrefinedshethought，noteven’artistic；’ifshecouldhavecalleditbythisfineworditwouldhavecompensatedherforthewantofrefinement。
To—nightitwasparticularlyirritatingtohernerves；butsinceherconversationwithMrGibsonaboutCynthia’sengagement，shehadnotfeltherselfinasufficientlygoodpositiontocomplain。MrGibsonbegan，—’Well，Cynthia；Ihaveseenthesquireto—day，andmadeacleanbreastofit。’Cynthialookedupquickly，questioningwithhereyes；Mollystoppedhernettingtolisten；noonespoke。’You’realltogothereonThursdaytolunch；heaskedyouall，andIpromisedforyou。’Stillnoreply；natural，perhaps，butveryflat。’You’llbegladofthatCynthia，shan’tyou？’askedMrGibson。’Itmaybealittleformidable，butIhopeitwillbethebeginningofagoodunderstandingbetweenyou。’’Thankyou！’saidshe，withaneffort。’But—butwon’titmakeitpublic？
Idosowishnottohaveitknown，ortalkedabout，nottillhecomesbackorcloseuponthemarriage。’’Idon’tseehowitshouldmakeitpublic，’saidMrGibson。’Mywifegoestolunchwithmyfriend，andtakesherdaughterswithher—
there’snothinginthat，isthere？’’IamnotsurethatIshallgo，’putinMrsGibson。Shedidnotknowwhyshesaidit，forshefullyintendedtogoallthetime；buthavingsaiditshewasboundtosticktoitforalittlewhile；and，withsuchahusbandashers，thehardnecessitywassuretofalluponherofhavingtofindareasonforhersaying。Thereitcame，quickandsharp。’Whynot？’saidhe，turningrounduponher。’Oh，because—becauseIthinkheoughttohavecalledonCynthiafirst；
I’vethatsortofsensitivenessIcan’tbeartothinkofherbeingslightedbecausesheispoor。’’Nonsense！’saidMrGibson。’Idoassureyou，noslightwhateverwasintended。
Hedoesnotwishtospeakabouttheengagementtoanyone—noteventoOsborne—that’syourwish，too，isitnot，Cynthia？Nordoesheintendtomentionittoanyofyouwhenyougothere；but，naturallyenough，hewantstomakeacquaintancewithhisfuturedaughter—in—law。Ifhedeviatedsomuchfromhisusualcourseastocomecallinghere——’’IamsureIdon’twanthimtocomecallinghere，’saidMrsGibson，interrupting。
’Hewasnotsoveryagreeabletheonlytimehedidcome。ButIamthatsortofacharacterthatIcannotputupwithanyneglectofpersonsI
love，justbecausetheyarenotsmileduponbyfortune。’Shesighedalittleostentatiouslyassheendedhersentence。’Well，then，youwon’tgo！’saidMrGibsonprovoked，butnotwishingtohavealongdiscussion，especiallyashefelthistempergoing。’Doyouwishit，Cynthia？’saidMrsGibson，anxiousforanexcusetoyield。Butherdaughterwasquiteawareofthismotiveforthequestion，andrepliedquietly，—’Notparticularly，mamma。Iamquitewillingtorefusetheinvitation。’’Itisalreadyaccepted，’saidMrGibson，almostreadytovowthathewouldneveragainmeddleinanyaffairinwhichwomenwereconcerned，whichwouldeffectuallyshuthimoutfromallloveaffairsforthefuture。Hehadbeentouchedbythesquire’srelenting，pleasedwithwhathehadthoughtwouldgiveotherspleasure，andthiswastheendofit！’Oh，dogo，Cynthia！’saidMolly，pleadingwithhereyesas’wellasherwords。’Do；Iamsureyouwilllikethesquire；anditissuchaprettyplace，andhe’llbesomuchdisappointed。’’Ishouldnotliketogiveupmydignity，’saidCynthia，demurely。’Andyouheardwhatmammasaid！’Itwasverymaliciousofher。Shefullyintendedtogo，andwasequallysurethathermotherwasalreadyplanningherdressfortheoccasioninherownmind。MrGibson，however，who，surgeonthoughhewas，hadneverlearnttoanatomizeawoman’sheart，tookitallliterally，andwasexcessivelyangrybothwithCynthiaandhermother；soangrythathedidnotdaretotrusthimselftospeak。Hewentquicklytothedoor，intendingtoleavetheroom；buthiswife’svoicearrestedhim；shesaid，—’Mydear，doyouwishmetogo？ifyoudo，Iwillputmyownfeelingsononeside。’’OfcourseIdo！’hesaid，shortandstern，andlefttheroom。’ThenI’llgo！’saidshe，inthevoiceofavictim—thosewordsweremeantforhim，buthehardlyheardthem。’Andwe’llhaveaflyfromthe\"George，\"
andgetalivery—coatforThomas，whichI’velongbeenwanting，onlydearMrGibsondidnotlikeit，butonanoccasionlikethisI’msurehewon’tmind；andThomasshallgoonthebox，and——’’But，mamma，I’vemyfeelingstoo，’saidCynthia。’Nonsense，child！whenallissonicelyarrangedtoo。’Sotheywentonthedayappointed。MrGibsonwasawareofthechangeofplans，andthattheyweregoingafterall；buthewassomuchannoyedbythemannerinwhichhiswifehadreceivedaninvitationwhichhadappearedtohimsomuchkinderthanhehadexpectedfromhispreviousknowledgeofthesquire，andhiswishesonthesubjectofhissons’marriages，thatMrsGibsonheardneitherinterestnorcuriosityexpressedbyherhusbandastothevisititself，orthereceptiontheymetwith。Cynthia’sindifferenceastowhethertheinvitationwasacceptedornothaddispleasedMrGibson。
Hewasnotuptoherwayswithhermother，anddidnotunderstandhowmuchofthissaidindifferencehadbeenassumedinordertocounterventMrsGibson’saffectationandfalsesentiment，Butforallhisannoyanceonthesubject，hewas，infact，verycurioustoknowhowthevisithadgoneoff，andtookthefirstopportunityofbeingalonewithMollytoquestionheraboutthelunchofthedaybeforeatHamleyHall。’AndsoyouwenttoHamleyyesterdayafterall？’’Yes；Ithoughtyouwouldhavecome。Thesquireseemedquitetoexpectyou。’’Ithoughtofgoingthereatfirst；butIchangedmymindlikeotherpeople。
Idon’tseewhywomenaretohaveamonopolyofchangeableness。Well！howdiditgooff？Pleasantly，Isuppose，forbothyourmotherandCynthiawereinhighspiritslastnight。’’Yes。Thedearoldsquirewasinhisbestdressandonhisbestbehaviour，andwassoprettilyattentivetoCynthia，andshelookedsolovely，walkingaboutwithhim，andlisteningtoallhistalkaboutthegardenandfarm。
Mammawastired，andstoppedin—doors，sotheygotonverywell，andsawagreatdealofeachother。’’Andmylittlegirltrottedbehind？’’Oh，yes。YouknowIwasalmostathome，andbesides—ofcourse——’Mollywentveryred，andleftthesentenceunfinished。’Doyouthinkshe’sworthyofhim？’askedherfather，justasifshehadcompletedherspeech。’OfRoger，papa？oh，whois？Butsheisverysweet，andvery，verycharming。’’Verycharmingifyouwill，butsomehowIdon’tquiteunderstandher。Whydoesshewantallthissecrecy？WhywasshenotmoreeagertogoandpayherdutytoRoger’sfather？ShetookitascoollyasifI’daskedhertogotochurch！’’Idon’tthinkshedidtakeitcoolly；IbelieveIdon’tquiteunderstandhereither，butIloveherdearlyallthesame。’’Umph；Iliketounderstandpeoplethoroughly，butIknowit’snotnecessarytowomen。D’yereallythinkshe’sworthyofhim？’’Oh，papa—’saidMolly，andthenshestopped；shewantedtospeakinfavourofCynthia，butsomehowshecouldformnoreplythatpleasedhertothisrepeatedinquiry。Hedidnotseemmuchtocareifhegotananswerornot，forhewentonwithhisownthoughts，andtheresultwasthatheaskedMollyifCynthiahadheardfromRoger。’Yes；onWednesdaymorning。’’Didsheshowittoyou？Butofcoursenot。Besides，Ireadthesquire’sletter，whichtoldallabouthim。’NowCynthia，rathertoMolly’ssurprise，hadtoldherthatshemightreadtheletterifsheliked，andMollyhadshrunkfromavailingherselfofthepermission，forRoger’ssake。Shethoughtthathewouldprobablyhavepouredouthishearttotheonesoleperson，andthatitwasnotfairtolisten，asitwere，tohisconfidences。’WasOsborneathome？’askedMrGibson。’Thesquiresaidhedidnotthinkhewouldhavecomeback；buttheyoungfellowissouncertain——’’No，hewasstillfromhome。’ThenMollyblushedallovercrimson，foritsuddenlystruckherthatOsbornewasprobablywithhiswife—thatmysteriouswife，ofwhoseexistenceshewascognizant，butofwhomsheknewsolittle，andofwhomherfatherknewnothing，MrGibsonnoticedtheblushwithanxiety。
Whatdiditmean？Itwastroublesomeenoughtofindthatoneofthesquire’sprecioussonshadfalleninlovewithintheprohibitedranks；andwhatwouldnothavetobesaidanddoneifanythingfreshweretocomeoutbetweenOsborneandMolly？Hespokeoutatoncetorelievehimselfofthisnewapprehension。’Molly，IwastakenbysurprisebythisaffairbetweenCynthiaandRogerHamley—ifthere’sanythingmoreonthetapisletmeknowatonce，honestlyandopenly。Iknowit’sanawkwardquestionforyoutoreplyto；
butIwouldnotaskitunlessIhadgoodreasons。’Hetookherhandashespoke。Shelookedupathimwithclear，truthfuleyeswhichfilledwithtearsasshespoke。Shedidnotknowwhythetearscame；perhapsitwasbecauseshewasnotsostrongasformerly。’Ifyoumeanthatyou’reafraidthatOsbornethinksofmeasRogerthinksofCynthia，papa，youarequitemistaken。OsborneandIarefriendsandnothingmore，andnevercanbeanythingmore。That’sallIcantellyou。’’It’squiteenough，littleone。It’sagreatrelief。Idon’twanttohavemyMollycarriedoffbyanyyoungmanjustyet；Ishouldmisshersadly。’
Hecouldnothelpsayingthisinthefulnessofhisheartjustthen，buthewassurprisedattheeffectthesefewtenderwordsproduced。Mollythrewherarmsroundhisneck，andbegantosobbitterly，herheadlyingonhisshoulder。’There，there！’saidhe，pattingherontheback，andleadinghertothesofa，’thatwilldo。Igetquiteenoughoftearsintheday，shedforrealcauses，nottowantthemathome，where，Ihope，theyareshedfornocauseatall。There’snothingreallythematter，isthere，mydear？’hecontinued，holdingheralittleawayfromhimthathemightlookinherface。Shesmiledathimthroughhertears；andhedidnotseethelookofsadnesswhichreturnedtoherfaceafterhehadlefther。’Nothing，dear，dearpapa—nothingnow。Itissuchacomforttohaveyoualltomyself—itmakesmehappy。’MrGibsonknewallimpliedinthesewords，andfeltthattherewasnoeffectualhelpforthestateofthingswhichhadarisenfromhisownact。Itwasbetterforthemboththattheyshouldnotspeakoutmorefully。Sohekissedher，andsaid，—’That’sright，dear！Icanleaveyouincomfortnow，andindeedI’vestayedtoolongalreadygossiping。Gooutandhaveawalk—takeCynthiawithyou，ifyoulike。Imustbeoff。Good—by，littleone。’HiscommonplacewordsactedlikeanastringentonMolly’srelaxedfeelings。
Heintendedthattheyshoulddoso；itwasthetruestkindnesstoher；
buthewalkedawayfromherwithasharppangathisheart，whichhestunnedintonumbnessassoonashecouldbythrowinghimselfviolentlyintotheaffairsandcaresofothers。
chapter37CHAPTERXXXVIIAFLUKE，ANDWHATCAMEOFITThehonourandgloryofhavingaloverofherownwassoontofalltoMolly’sshare；thoughtobesureitwasalittledeductiontothehonourthatthemanwhocamewiththefullintentionofproposingtoher，endedbymakingCynthiaanoffer。ItwasMrCoxe，whocamebacktoHollingfordtofollowoutthepurposehehadannouncedtoMrGibsonnearlytwoyearsbefore，ofinducingMollytobecomehiswifeassoonasheshouldhavesucceededtohisuncle’sestate。Hewasnowarich，thoughstillared—haired，youngman。Hecametothe’George’Inn，bringinghishorsesandhisgroom；not。
thathewasgoingtoridemuch，butthathethoughtsuchoutwardsignsofhisrichesmighthelponhissuit；andhewassojustlymodestinhisestimationofhimselfthathebelievedthatheneededallextraneousaid。
Hepiquedhimselfonhisconstancy；andindeed，consideringthathehadbeensomuchrestrainedbyhisduty，hisaffection，andhisexpectationstohiscrabbedolduncle，thathehadnotbeenabletogomuchintosociety，andveryrarelyindeedintothecompanyofyoungladies，suchfidelitytoMollywasverymeritorious，atleastinhisowneyes。MrGibsontoowastouchedbyit，andmadeitapointofhonourtogivehimafairfield，allthetimesincerelyhopingthatMollywouldnotbesuchagooseastolendawillingeartoayouthwhocouldneverrememberthedifferencebetweenapophysisandepiphysis。HethoughtitaswellnottotellhiswifemoreofMrCoxe’santecedentsthanthathehadbeenaformerpupil；whohadrelinquished（allthatheknewof，understood）themedicalprofessionbecauseanoldunclehadlefthimenoughofmoneytobeidle。MrsGibson，whofeltthatshehadsomehowlostherplaceinherhusband’sfavour，tookitintoherheadthatshecouldreinstateherselfifshewassuccessfulinfindingagoodmatchforhisdaughterMolly。Sheknewthatherhusbandhadforbiddenhertotryforthisend，asdistinctlyaswordscouldexpressameaning；
butherownwordssoseldomdidexpresshermeaning，oriftheydid，sheheldtoheropinionssoloosely，thatshehadnoideabutthatitwasthesamewithotherpeople。AccordinglyshegaveMrCoxeaverysweetandgraciouswelcome。’Itissuchapleasuretometomakeacquaintancewiththeformerpupilsofmyhusband。HehadspokentomesooftenofyouthatIquitefeelasifyouwereoneofthefamily，asindeedIamsurethatMrGibsonconsidersyou。’MrCoxefeltmuchflattered，andtookthewordsasahappyomenforhislove—affair。’IsMissGibsonin？’askedhe，blushingviolently。’Iknewherformerly，thatistosay，Ilivedinthesamehousewithher，formorethantwoyears，anditwouldbeagreatpleasureto—to——’’Certainly，Iamsureshewillbesogladtoseeyou。IsentherandCynthia—youdon’tknowmydaughterCynthia，Ithink，MrCoxe？sheandMollyaresuchgreatfriends—outforabriskwalkthisfrostyday，butIthinktheywillsooncomeback。’Shewentonsayingagreeablenothingstotheyoungman，whoreceivedherattentionswithacertaincomplacency，butwasallthetimemuchmoreengagedinlisteningtothewell—rememberedclickatthefrontdoor，—theshuttingittoagainwithhouseholdcare，andthesoundofthefamiliarboundingfootsteponthestair。Atlasttheycame。Cynthiaenteredfirst，brightandblooming，freshcolourinhercheeksandlips，freshbrillianceinhereyes。Shelookedstartledatthesightofastranger，andforaninstantshestoppedshortatthedoor，asiftakenbysurprise。ThenincameMollysoftlybehindher，smiling，happy，dimpled；butnotsuchaglowingbeautyasCynthia。’Oh，MrCoxe，isityou？’saidshe，goinguptohimwithanoutstretchedhand，andgreetinghimwithsimplefriendliness。’Yes；itseemssuchalongtimesinceIsawyou。Youaresomuchgrown—somuch—well，IsupposeImustnotsaywhat，’hereplied，speakinghurriedly，andholdingherhandallthetimerathertoherdiscomfiture。
ThenMrsGibsonintroducedherdaughter，andthetwogirlsspokeoftheenjoymentoftheirwalk。MrCoxemarredhiscauseinthatveryfirstinterview，ifindeedheevercouldhavehadanychance，byhisprecipitancyinshowinghisfeelings，andMrsGibsonhelpedhimtomaritbytryingtoassisthim。
Mollylostheropenfriendlinessofmanner，andbegantoshrinkawayfromhiminawaywhichhethoughtwasaveryungratefulreturnforallhisfaithfulnesstoherthesetwoyearspast，andafterallshewasnotthewonderfulbeautyhisfancyorhislovehadpaintedher。ThatMissKirkpatrickwasfarmorebeautifulandmucheasierofaccess。ForCynthiaputonallherprettyairs—herlookofintentinterestinwhatanyonewassayingtoher，letthesubjectbewhatitwould，asifitwasthethingshecaredthemostaboutinthewholeworld；herunspokendeference；inshort，alltheunconsciouswaysshepossessedbyinstinctofticklingthevanityofmen。SowhileMollyquietlyrepelledhim，Cynthiadrewhimtoherbyhersoftattractiveways；andhisconstancyfellbeforehercharms。Hewasthankfulthathe，hadnotgonetoofarwithMolly，andgratefultoMrGibsonforhavingprohibitedalldeclarationstwoyearsago。ForCynthia，andCynthiaalone，couldmakehimhappy。Afterafortnight’stime，duringwhichhehadentirelyveeredroundinhisallegiance，hethoughtitdesirabletospeaktoMrGibson。Hedidsowithacertainsenseofexultationinhisowncorrectbehaviourintheaffair，butatthesametimefeelingratherashamedoftheconfessionofhisownchangeablenesswhichwasnaturallyinvolved。NowithadsohappenedthatMrGibsonhadbeenunusuallylittleathomeduringthefortnightthatMrCoxehadostensiblylodgedatthe’George’—butinrealityhadspentthegreaterpartofhistimeatMrGibson’shouse—sothathehadseenverylittleofhisformerpupil，andonthewholehehadthoughthimimproved，especiallyafterMolly’smannerhadmadeherfatherprettysurethatMrCoxestoodnochanceinthatquarter。
ButMrGibsonwasquiteignorantoftheattractionwhichCynthiahadhadfortheyoungman。Ifhehadperceivedithewouldhavenippeditinthebudprettyquickly，forhehadnonotionofanygirl，eventhoughonlypartiallyengagedtooneman，receivingoffersfromothersifalittleplainspeakingcouldpreventit。MrCoxehadaskedforaprivateinterview；
theyweresittingintheoldsurgery，nowcalledtheconsulting—room，butstillretainingsomuchofitsformerselfastobethelastplaceinwhichMrCoxecouldfeelhimselfatcase。HewasreduptomeveryrootsofhisredHair，andkeptturninghisglossynewhatroundandroundinhisfingers，unabletofindouttheproperwayofbeginninghissentence，soatlengthheplungedin，grammarornogrammar。’MrGibson，Idaresayyou’llbesurprised，I’msureIamat—atwhatI
wanttosay；butIthinkit’sthepartofanhonourableman，asyousaidyourself，sir，ayearortwoago，to—tospeaktothefatherfirst，andasyou，sir，standintheplaceofafathertoMissKirkpatrick，Ishouldliketoexpressmyfeelings，myhopes，orperhapsIshouldsaywishes，inshort——’’MissKirkpatrick？’saidMrGibson，agooddealsurprised。’Yes，sir！’continuedMrCoxe，rushingonnowhehadgotsofar。’Iknowitmayappearinconstantandchangeable，butIdoassureyou，Icameherewithaheartasfaithfultoyourdaughter，aseverbeatinaman’sbosom。
ImostfullyintendedtooffermyselfandallthatIhadtoheracceptancebeforeIleft；butreally，sir，ifyouhadseenhermannertomeeverytimeIendeavouredtopressmysuitalittle—itwasmorethancoy，itwasabsolutelyrepellent，therecouldbenomistakingit，—whileMissKirkpatrick——’helookedmodestlydown，andsmoothedthenapofhishat，smilingalittlewhilehedidSO。’WhileMissKirkpatrick——？’repeatedMrGibson，insuchasternvoice，thatMrCoxe，landedesquireashewasnow，feltasmuchdiscomfitedasheusedtodowhenhewasanapprentice，andMrGibsonhadspokentohiminasimilarmanner。’Iwasonlygoingtosay，sir，thatsofarasonecanjudgefrommanner，andwillingnesstolisten，andapparentpleasureinmyvisits—altogetherIthinkImayventuretohopethatMissKirkpatrickisnotquiteindifferenttome，—andIwouldwait，—youhavenoobjection，haveyou，sir，tomyspeakingtoher，Imean？’saidMrCoxe，alittleanxiousattheexpressiononMrGibson’sface。’IdoassureyouIhavenotachancewithMissGibson，’