StillIprophesyhewillbeconsideredasafashionable\"lion，\"andperhapstheveryuncouthnesswhichjarsagainstmysenseofrefinement，mayevenbecomeadmiredinascientifictraveller，whohasbeenintomoredesertplaces，andeatenmoreextraordinaryfood，thananyotherEnglishmanoftheday。Isupposehehasgivenupallchanceofinheritingtheestate，forIhearhetalksofreturningtoAfrica，andbecomingaregularwanderer。
Yournamewasnotmentioned，butIbelieveheinquiredaboutyoufromMrGibson。’’There！’saidshetoherself，asshefoldedupanddirectedthisletter；
’thatcan’tdisturbher，ormakeheruncomfortable。Andit’sallthetruthtoo，orverynearit。Ofcoursehe’llwanttoseeherwhenshecomesback；
butbythattimeIdohopeMrHendersonwillhaveproposedagain，andthatthataffairwillbeallsettled。’ButCynthiareturnedtoHollingfordoneTuesdaymorning，andinanswertohermother’sanxiousinquiriesonthesubject，wouldonlysaythatMrHendersonhadnotofferedagain。’Whyshouldhe？Shehadrefusedhimonce，’
andhedidnotknowthereasonofherrefusal，atleastoneofthereasons。
ShedidnotknowifsheshouldhavetakenhimiftherehadbeennosuchpersonasRogerHamleyintheworld。No！UncleandauntKirkpatrickhadneverheardanythingaboutRoger’soffer，—norhadhercousins。Shehadalwaysdeclaredherwishtokeepitasecret，andshehadnotmentionedittoanyone，whateverotherpeoplemighthavedone。’Underneaththislightandcarelessveintherewereotherfeelings；butMrsGibsonwasnotonetoprobebeneaththesurface。ShehadsetherheartonMrHenderson’smarryingCynthiaveryearlyintheiracquaintance：andtoknow，firstly，thatthesamewishhadenteredintohishead，andthatRoger’sattachmenttoCynthia，withitsconsequences，hadbeentheobstacle；andsecondly，thatCynthiaherselfwithalltheopportunitiesofpropinquitythatshehadlatelyhad，hadfailedtoprovokearepetitionoftheoffer，—itwas，asMrsGibsonsaid，’enoughtoprovokeasaint。’AlltherestofthedayshealludedtoCynthiaasadisappointingandungratefuldaughter；Mollycouldnotmakeoutwhy，andresenteditforCynthia，untilthelattersaid，bitterly，’Nevermind，Molly。MammaisonlyvexedbecauseMr——becauseIhavenotcomebackanengagedyounglady。’’Yes；andIamsureyoumighthavedone，—there’stheingratitude！Iamnotsounjustastowantyoutodowhatyoucan’tdo！’saidMrsGibson，querulously。’Butwhere’stheingratitude，mamma？Iamverymuchtired，andperhapsthatmakesmestupid；butIcannotseetheingratitude。’Cynthiaspokeverywearily，leaningherheadbackonthesofa—cushions，asifshedidnotmuchcaretohaveananswer。’Why，don’tyouseewearedoingallwecanforyou；dressingyouwell，andsendingyoutoLondon；andwhenyoumightrelieveusoftheexpenseofallthis，youdon’t。’’No！Cynthia，Iwillspeak，’saidMolly，allcrimsonwithindignation，andpushingawayCynthia’srestraininghand。’Iamsurepapadoesnotfeel，anddoesnotmind，anyexpenseheincursabouthisdaughters。
AndIknowquitewellthathedoesnotwishustomarry，unless——’Shefalteredandstopped。’Unlesswhat？’saidMrsGibson，half—mocking。’Unlesswelovesomeoneverydearlyindeed，’saidMolly，inalow，firmtone。’Well，afterthistirade—reallyratherindelicate，Imustsay—Ihavedone。Iwillneitherhelpnorhinderanylove—affairsofyoutwoyoungladies。Inmydaysweweregladoftheadviceofourelders。’Andshelefttheroomtoputintofulfilmentanideawhichhadjuststruckher：towriteaconfidentiallettertoMrsKirkpatrick，givingherherversionofCynthia’s’unfortunateentanglement’and’delicatesenseofhonour，’andhintsofherentireindifferencetoallthemasculineportionoftheworld，MrHendersonbeingdexterouslyexcludedfromthecategory。’Oh，dear！’saidMolly，throwingherselfbackinachair，withasighofrelief，asMrsGibsonlefttheroom；’howcrossIdogetsinceIhavebeenill。ButIcouldnotbearhertospeakasifpapagrudgedyouanything。’’Iamsurehedoesnot，Molly。Youneednotdefendhimonmyaccount。ButIamsorrymammastilllooksuponmeas\"anencumbrance，\"astheadvertisementsinTheTimesalwayscallusunfortunatechildren。ButIhavebeenanencumbrancetoherallmylife。Iamgettingverymuchintodespairabouteverything，Molly。IshalltrymyluckinRussia。IhaveheardofasituationasEnglishgovernessatMoscow，inafamilyowningwholeprovincesofland，andserfsbythehundred。IputoffwritingmylettertillIcamehome；IshallbeasmuchoutofthewaythereasifIwasmarried。Oh，dear！travellingallnightisnotgoodforthespirits。HowisMrPreston？’’Oh，hehastakenCumnorGrange，threemilesaway，andhenevercomesintotheHollingfordtea—partiesnow。Isawhimonceinthestreet，butit’saquestionwhichofustriedthehardesttogetoutoftheother’sway。’’You’venotsaidanythingaboutRoger，yet。’’No；Ididnotknowifyouwouldcaretohear。Heisverymucholder—looking；
quiteastronggrown—upman。Andpapasaysheismuchgraver。Askmeanyquestions，ifyouwanttoknow，butIhaveonlyseenhimonce。’’Iwasinhopeshewouldhavelefttheneighbourhoodbythistime。Mammasaidhewasgoingtotravelagain。’’Ican’ttell，’saidMolly。’Isupposeyouknow，’shecontinued，buthesitatingalittlebeforeshespoke，’thathewishestoseeyou。’’No！Ineverheard。Iwishhewouldhavebeensatisfiedwithmyletter。
ItwasasdecidedasIcouldmakeit。IfIsayIwon’tseehim，Iwonderifhiswillorminewillbethestrongest？’’His，’saidMolly。’Butyoumustseehim，youoweittohim。Hewillneverbesatisfiedwithoutit。’’Supposehetalksmeroundintoresumingtheengagement？Ishouldonlybreakitoffagain。’’Surelyyoucan’tbe\"talkedround\"ifyourmindismadeup。Butperhapsitisnotreally，Cynthia？’askedshe，withalittlewistfulanxietybetrayingitselfinherface。’Itisquitemadeup。IamgoingtoteachlittleRussiangirls；andamnevergoingtomarrynobody。’’Youarenotserious，Cynthia。Andyetitisaveryseriousthing。’ButCynthiawentintooneofherwildmoods，andnomorereasonorsensiblemeaningwastobegotoutofheratthetime。
chapter56CHAPTERLVI’OFFWITHTHEOLDLOVE，ANDONWITHTHENEW。’ThenextmorningsawMrsGibsoninamuchmorecontentedframeofmind。
Shehadwrittenandpostedherletter，andthenextthingwastokeepCynthiainwhatshecalledareasonablestate，or，inotherwords，totryandcajoleherintodocility。Butitwassomuchlabourlost。CynthiahadalreadyreceivedaletterfromMrHendersonbeforeshecamedowntobreakfast，—adeclarationoflove，aproposalofmarriageasclearaswordscouldmakeit；togetherwithanintimationthat，unabletowaitfortheslowdelaysofthepost，hewasgoingtofollowherdowntoHollingford，andwouldarriveatthesametimethatshehaddoneherselfonthepreviousday。Cynthiasaidnothingaboutthislettertoanyone。Shecamelateintothebreakfast—room，afterMrandMrsGibsonhadfinishedtheactualbusinessofthemeal；butherunpunctualitywasquiteaccountedforbythefactthatshehadbeentravellingallthenightbefore。Mollywasnotasyetstrongenoughtogetupsoearly。Cynthiahardlyspoke，anddidnottouchherfood。MrGibsonwentabouthisdailybusiness，andCynthiaandhermotherwereleftalone。’Mydear，’saidMrsGibson，’youarenoteatingyourbreakfastasyoushoulddo。IamafraidourmealsseemveryplainandhomelytoyouafterthoseinHydeParkStreet？’’No，’saidCynthia；’Iamnothungry，that’sall。’’Ifwewereasrichasyouruncle，Ishouldfeelittobebothadutyandapleasuretokeepaneleganttable；butlimitedmeansareasadclogtoone’swishes。Idon’tsupposethat，workashewill，MrGibsoncanearnmorethanhedoesatpresent；whilethecapabilitiesofthelawareboundless。
LordChancellor！Titlesaswellasfortune！’Cynthiawasalmosttoomuchabsorbedinherownreflectionstoreply，butshedidsay，—’Hundredsofbrieflessbarristers。Taketheotherside，mamma。’’Well；butIhavenoticedthatmanyofthesehaveprivatefortunes。’’Perhaps。Mamma，IexpectMrHendersonwillcomeandcallthismorning。’’Oh，mypreciouschild！Buthowdoyouknow？MydarlingCynthia，amItocongratulateyou？’’No！IsupposeImusttellyou。Ihavehadaletterthismorningfromhim，andheiscomingdownbythe\"Umpire\"to—day。’’Buthehasoffered？Hesurelymustmeantooffer，atanyrate？’Cynthiaplayedwithherteaspoonbeforeshereplied；thenshelookedup，likeonestartledfromadream，andcaughttheechoofhermother’squestion。’Offered！yes，Isupposehehas。’’Andyouaccepthim？Sayyes，Cynthia，andmakemehappy！’’Ishan’tsay\"yes\"tomakeanyonehappyexceptmyself，andtheRussianschemehasgreatcharmsforme。’Shesaidthistoplaguehermother，andlessenMrsGibson’sexuberanceofjoy，itmustbeconfessed；forhermindwasprettywellmadeup。ButitdidnotaffectMrsGibson，whoaffixedevenlesstruthtoitthantherereallywas。Theideaofaresidenceinanew，strangecountry，amongnew，strangepeople，wasnotwithoutallurementtoCynthia。’Youalwayslooknice，dear；butdon’tyouthinkyouhadbetterputonthatprettylilacsilk？’’IshallnotvaryathreadorashredfromwhatIhavegotonnow。’’Youdearwilfulcreature！youknowyoualwayslooklovelyinwhateveryouputon。’So，kissingherdaughter，MrsGibsonlefttheroom，intentonthelunchwhichshouldimpressMrHendersonatoncewithanideaoffamilyrefinement。CynthiawentupstairstoMolly；ShewasinclinedtotellheraboutMrHenderson，butshefounditimpossibletointroducethesubjectnaturally，sosheleftittotimetorevealthefutureasgraduallyasitmight。Mollywastiredwithabadnight；andherfather，inhisflyingvisittohisdarlingbeforegoingout，hadadvisedhertostayupstairsforthegreaterpartofthemorning，andtokeepquietinherownroomtillafterherearlydinner，soTimehadnotafairchanceoftellingherwhathehadinstoreinhisbudget。MrsGibsonsentanapologytoMollyfornotpayingherherusualmorningvisit，andtoldCynthiatogiveMrHenderson’sprobablecomingasareasonforheroccupationdownstairs。ButCynthiadidnosuchthing。
ShekissedMolly，andsatesilentlybyher，holdingherhand；tillatlengthshejumpedup，andsaid，’Youshallbeleftalonenow，littleone。Iwantyoutobeverywellandverybrightthisafternoon：sorestnow。’AndCynthialefther，andwenttoherownroom，lockedthedoor，andbegantothink。Someonewasthinkingaboutheratthesametime，anditwasnotMrHenderson。
RogerhadheardfromMrGibsonthatCynthiahadcomehome，andhewasresolvingtogotoheratonce，andhaveonestrong，manlyattempttoovercometheobstacles，whatevertheymightbe—andoftheirnaturehewasnotfullyaware—thatshehadconjuredupagainstthecontinuanceoftheirrelationtoeachother。Helefthisfather—heleftthemall—andwentoffintothewoods，tobealoneuntilthetimecamewhenhemightmounthishorseandrideovertoputhisfatetothetouch。Hewasascarefulasevernottointerferewiththemorninghoursthatweretabooedtohimofold；butwaitingwasveryhardworkwhenheknewthatshewassonear，andthetimesonearathand。Yetherodeslowly，compellinghimselftoquietnessandpatiencewhenhewasoncereallyonthewaytoher。’MrsGibsonathome？MissKirkpatrick？’heaskedoftheservant，Maria，whoopenedthedoor。Shewasconfused，buthedidnotnoticeit。’Ithinkso；Iamnotsure！Willyouwalkupintothedrawing—room，sir？
MissGibsonisthere，Iknow。’Sohewentupstairs，allhisnervesononestrainforthecominginterviewwithCynthia。Itwaseitherarelieforadisappointment，hewasnotsurewhich，tofindonlyMollyintheroom。Molly，halflyingonthecouchinthebow—windowwhichcommandedthegarden；drapedinsoftwhitedrapery，verywhiteherself，andalacedhalf—handkerchieftiedoverherheadtosaveherfromanyilleffectsoftheairthatblewinthroughtheopenwindow。HewassoreadytospeaktoCynthiathathehardlyknewwhattosaytoanyoneelse。’Iamafraidyouarenotsowell，’hesaidtoMolly，whosateuptoreceivehim，andwhosuddenlybegantotremblewithemotion。’Iamalittletired，that’sall，’saidshe；andthenshewasquitesilent，hopingthathemightgo，andyetsomehowwishinghimtostay。Buthetookachairandplaceditnearher，oppositetothewindow。HethoughtthatsurelyMariawouldtellMissKirkpatrickthatshewaswanted，andthatatanymomenthemighthearherlightquickfootsteponthestairs。Hethoughtheoughttotalk，buthecouldnotthinkofanythingtosay。ThepinkflushcameoutonMolly’scheeks；onceortwiceshewasonthepointofspeaking，butagainshethoughtbetterofit；andthepausesbetweenthefaintdisjointedremarksbecamelongerandlonger。Suddenly，inoneofthesepauses，themerrymurmurofdistanthappyvoicesinthegardencamenearerandnearer；Mollylookedmoreandmoreuneasyandflushed，andinspiteofherselfkeptwatchingRoger’sface。Hecouldseeoverherintothegarden。Asuddendeepcolouroverspreadhim，asifhishearthadsentitsbloodoutcoursingatfullgallop。CynthiaandMrHendersonhadcomeinsight；heeagerlytalkingtoherashebentforwardtolookintoherface；she，herlookshalfavertedinprettyshyness，wasevidentlycoquettingaboutsomeflowers，whichsheeitherwouldnotgive，orwouldnottake。Justthen，forthelovershademergedfromtheshrubberyintocomparativelypubliclife，Mariawasseenapproaching；apparentlyshehadfemininetactenoughtoinduceCynthiatoleaveherpresentadmirer，andgoafewstepstomeethertoreceivethewhisperedmessagethatMrRogerHamleywasthere，andwishedtospeaktoher。Rogercouldseeherstartledgesture，sheturnedbacktosaysomethingtoMrHendersonbeforecomingtowardsthehouse。NowRogerspoketoMolly—spokehurriedly，spokehoarsely。’Molly，tellme！ItistoolateformetospeaktoCynthia？Icameonpurpose。
Whoisthatman？’’MrHenderson。Heonlycameto—day—butnowheisheracceptedlover。
Oh，Roger，forgivemethepain！’’TellherIhavebeen，andamgone。Sendoutwordtoher。Don’tletherbeinterrupted。’AndRogerrandownstairsatfullspeed，andMollyheardthepassionateclangoftheouterdoor。HehadhardlyleftthehousebeforeCynthiaenteredtheroom，paleandresolute。’Whereishe？’shesaid，lookingaround，asifhemightyetbehidden。’Gone！’saidMolly，veryfaint。’Gone。Oh，whatarelief！ItseemstobemyfatenevertobeoffwiththeoldloverbeforeIamonwiththenew，andyetIdidwriteasdecidedlyasIcould。Why，Molly，what’sthematter？’fornowMollyhadfaintedawayutterly。Cynthiaflewtothebell，summonedMaria，water，salts，wine，everything；andassoonasMolly，gaspingandmiserable，becameconsciousagain，shewrotealittlepencil—notetoMrHenderson，biddinghimreturntothe\"George，\"whencehehadcomeinthemorning，andsayingthatifheobeyedheratonce，hemightbeallowedtocallagainintheevening，otherwiseshewouldnotseehimtillthenextday。ThisshesentdownbyMaria，andtheunluckymanneverbelievedbutthatitwasMissGibson’ssuddenindispositioninthefirstinstancethathaddeprivedhimofhischarmer’scompany。Hecomfortedhimselfforthelongsolitaryafternoonbywritingtotellallhisfriendsofhishappiness，andamongstthemuncleandauntKirkpatrick，whoreceivedhisletterbythesamepostasthatdiscreetepistleofMrsGibson’s，whichshehadcarefullyarrangedtorevealasmuchasshewished，andnomore。’Washeveryterrible？’askedCynthia，asshesatewithMollyinthestillnessofMrsGibson’sdressing—room。’Oh，Cynthia，itwassuchpaintoseehim，hesufferedso！’’Idon’tlikepeopleofdeepfeelings，’saidCynthia，pouting。’Theydon’tsuitme。Whycouldnotheletmegowithoutthisfuss。I’mnotworthhiscaringfor！’’Youhavethehappygiftofmakingpeopleloveyou。RememberMrPreston，—hetoowouldnotgiveuphope。’’NowIwon’thaveyouclassingRogerHamleyandMrPrestontogetherinthesamesentence。Onewasasmuchtoobadforme，astheotheristoogood。NowIhopethatmaxiinthegardenisthejustemilieu，—
I’mthatmyself，forIdon’tthinkI’mvicious，andIknowI’mnotvirtuous。’’Doyoureallylikehimenoughtomarryhim？’askedMollyearnestly。’Dothink，Cynthia。Itwon’tdotogoonthrowingyourloversoff；yougivepainthatIamsureyoudonotmeantodo，—thatyoucannotunderstand。’’PerhapsIcan’t。I’mnotoffended。IneversetupforwhatIamnot，andIknowI’mnotconstant。IhavetoldMrHendersonso——’Shestopped，blushingandsmilingattherecollection。’Youhave！andwhatdidhesay？’’ThathelikedmejustasIwas；soyouseehe’sfairlywarned。Onlyheisalittleafraid，Isuppose，—forhewantsmetobemarriedverysoon，almostdirectlyinfact。ButIdon’tknowifIshallgiveway，—youhardlysawhim，Molly，—buthe’scomingagainto—night，andmind，I’llneverforgiveyouifyoudon’tthinkhimverycharming。IbelieveIcaredforhimwhenheofferedallthosemonthsago，butItriedtothinkIdidn’t；
onlysometimesIreallywassounhappy，IthoughtImustputaniron—bandroundmyhearttokeepitfrombreaking，liketheFaithfulJohnoftheGermanstory，’—doyouremember，Molly？—howwhenhismastercametohiscrownandhisfortune，andhislady—love，afterinnumerabletrialsanddisgraces，andwasdrivingawayfromthechurchwherehe’dbeenmarriedinacoachandsix，withFaithfulJohnbehind，thehappycoupleheardthreegreatcracksinsuccession，andoninquiring，theyweretheiron—bandsroundhisheart，thatFaithfulJohnhadwornallduringthetimeofhismaster’stribulation，tokeepitfrombreaking。’IntheeveningMrHendersoncame。Mollyhadbeenverycurioustoseehim；
andwhenshesawhimshewasnotsurewhethershelikedhimornot。Hewashandsome，withoutbeingconceited；gentlemanly，withoutbeingfoolishlyfine。Hetalkedeasily，andneversaidasillything。Hewasperfectlywell—appointed，yetneverseemedtohavegivenathoughttohisdress。
Hewasgood—temperedandkind；notwithoutsomeofthecheerfulflippancyofreparteewhichbelongedtohisageandprofession，andwhichhisageandprofessionareapttotakeforwit。ButhewantedsomethinginMolly’seyes，atanyrateinthisfirstinterview，andinherheartofheartsshethoughthimrathercommonplace。ButofcourseshesaidnothingofthistoCynthia，whowasevidentlyashappyasshecouldbe。MrsGibson，too，wasintheseventhheavenofecstasyandspokebutlittle；butwhatshedidsay，expressedthehighestsentimentsinthefinestlanguage。MrGibsonwasnotwiththemforlong，butwhilehewastherehewasevidentlystudyingtheunconsciousMrHendersonwithhisdarkpenetratingeyes。MrHendersonbehavedexactlyasheoughttohavedonetoeverybody；respectfultoMrGibson，deferentialtoMrsGibson，friendlytoMolly，devotedtoCynthia。
ThenexttimeMrGibsonfoundMollyalone，hebegan，—’Well！andhowdoyoulikethenewrelationthatistobe？’’Itisdifficulttosay。Ithinkheisveryniceinallhisbits，but—
ratherdullonthewhole。’’Ithinkhimperfection，’saidMrGibson，toMolly’ssurprise；butinaninstantafterwardsshesawthathehadbeenspeakingironically。Hewenton。’Idon’twondershepreferredhimtoRogerHamley。Suchscents！suchgloves！Andthenhishairandhiscravat！’’Now，papa，youarenotfair。Heisagreatdealmorethanthat。Onecouldseethathehadverygoodfeeling；andheisveryhandsome，andverymuchattachedtoher。’’SowasRoger。However，ImustconfessIshallonlybetoogladtohavehermarried。Sheisagirlwhowillalwayshavesomelove—affaironhand，andwillalwaysbeapttoslipthroughaman’sfingersifhedoesnotlooksharp；asIwassayingtoRoger——’’Youhaveseenhim，then，sincehewashere？’’Methiminthestreet。’’Howwashe？’’Idon’tsupposehehadbeengoingthroughthepleasantestthingintheworld；buthe’llgetoveritbeforelong。Hespokewithsenseandresignation，anddidnotsaymuchaboutit；butonecouldseethathewasfeelingitprettysharply。He’shadthreemonthstothinkitover，remember。Thesquire，Ishouldguess，isshowingmoreindignation。Heisboilingover，thatanyoneshouldrejecthisson！Theenormityofthesinneverseemstohavebeenapparenttohimtillnow，whenheseeshowRogerisaffectedbyit。
Indeed，withtheexceptionofmyself，Idon’tknowonereasonablefather；
eh，Molly？’WhateverelseMrHendersonmightbe，hewasanimpatientlover；hewantedtomarryCynthiadirectly—nextweek—theweekafter。Atanyratebeforethelongvacation，sothattheycouldgoabroadatonce。Trousseaux，andpreliminaryceremonies，hegavetothewinds。MrGibson，generousasusual，calledCynthiaasideamorningortwoafterherengagement，andputahundred—poundnoteintoherhands。’There！that’stopayyourexpensestoRussiaandback。Ihopeyou’llfindyourpupilsobedient。’Tohissurprise，andrathertohisdiscomfiture，Cynthiathrewherarmsroundhisneckandkissedhim。’YouarethekindestpersonIknow，’saidshe；’andIdon’tknowhowtothankyouinwords。’’Ifyoutumblemyshirt—collarsagaininthatway，I’llchargeyouforthewashing。Justnow，too，whenI’mtryingsohardtobetrimandelegant，likeyourMrHenderson。’’Butyoudolikehim，don’tyou？’saidCynthia，pleadingly。’Hedoessolikeyou。’’Ofcourse。Weareallangelsjustnow，andyouareanarch—angel。Ihopehe’llwearaswellasRoger。’Cynthialookedgrave。’Thatwasaverysillyaffair，’shesaid。’Weweretwoasunsuitablepeople——’’Ithasended，andthat’senough。Besides，I’venomoretimetowaste；
andthereisyoursmartyoungmancominghereinallhaste。’MrandMrsKirkpatricksentallmannerofcongratulations；and，inaprivateletter，assuredMrsGibsonthatherill—timedconfidenceaboutRogershouldbeconsideredasquiteprivate。ForassoonasMrHendersonhadmadehisappearanceinHollingford，shehadwrittenasecondletter，entreatingthemnottoalludetoanythingshemighthavesaidinherfirst；whichshesaidwaswritteninsuchexcitementondiscoveringtherealstateofherdaughter’saffections，thatshehadhardlyknownwhatshehadsaid，andhadexaggeratedsomethings，andmisunderstoodothers；allthatshedidknownowwas，thatMrHendersonhadjustproposedtoCynthia，andwasaccepted，andthattheywereashappyasthedaywaslong，and（’excusethevanityofamother，’）madeamostlovelycouple。SoMrandMrsKirkpatrickwrotebackanequallyagreeableletter，praisingMrHenderson，admiringCynthia，andgenerallycongratulatory；insistingintothebargainthatthemarriageshouldtakeplacefromtheirhouseinHydeParkStreet，andthatMrandMrsGibsonandMollyshouldallcomeupandpaythemavisit。
Therewasalittlepostscriptattheend。’Surelyyoudonotmeanthefamoustraveller，Hamley，aboutwhosediscoveriesallourscientificmenaresomuchexcited。YouspeakofhimasayoungHamley，whowenttoAfrica。Answerthisquestion，pray，forHelenismostanxioustoknow。’ThisP。S。beinginHelen’shandwriting。Inherexultationatthegeneralsuccessofeverything，anddesireforsympathy，MrsGibsonreadpartsofthislettertoMolly；
thepostscriptamongtherest。ItmadeadeeperimpressiononMollythaneventheproposedkindnessofthevisittoLondon。Thereweresomefamilyconsultations；buttheendofthemallwasthattheKirkpatrickinvitationwasaccepted。Thereweremanysmallreasonsforthis，whichwereopenlyacknowledged；buttherewasonegeneralandunspokenwishtohavetheceremonyperformedoutoftheimmediateneighbourhoodofthetwomenwhomCynthiahadpreviously—rejected；thatwasthewordnowtobeappliedtohertreatmentofthem。SoMollywasorderedandenjoinedandentreatedtobecomestrongassoonaspossible，inorderthatherhealthmightnotpreventherattendingthemarriage。MrGibsonhimself，thoughhethoughtithisdutytodamptheexultantanticipationsofhiswifeandherdaughter，wasnotatallaversetotheprospectofgoingtoLondon，andseeinghalf—a—dozenoldfriends，andmanyscientificexhibitions，independentlyoftheveryfairamountoflikingwhichhehadforhishost，MrKirkpatrickhimselfchapter57CHAPTERLVIIBRIDALVISITSANDADIEUXThewholetownofHollingfordcametocongratulateandinquireintoparticulars。
Someindeed—MrsGoodenoughattheheadofthisclassofmalcontents—
thoughtthattheyweredefraudedoftheirrighttoafineshowbyCynthia’sbeingmarriedinLondon。EvenLadyCumnorwasmovedintoaction。She，whohadhardlyeverpaidcalls’outofherownsphere，’whohadonlyoncebeentosee’Clare’inherownhouse，—shecametocongratulateafterherfashion。
Mariahadonlyjusttimetorunupintothedrawing—room，onemorning，andsay，—’Please，ma’am，thegreatcarriagefromtheTowersiscominguptothegate，andmyladytheCountessissittinginside。’Itwasbuteleveno’clock，andMrsGibsonwouldhavebeenindignantatanycommonerwhohadventuredtocallatsuchanuntimelyhour，butinthecaseofthePeeragetherulesofdomesticmoralitywererelaxed。Thefamily’stoodatarms，’asitwere，tillLadyCumnorappearedinthedrawing—room；andthenshehadtobesettledinthebestchair，andthelightadjustedbeforeanythinglikeconversationbegan。Shewasthefirsttospeak；andLadyHarriet，whohadbegunafewwordstoMolly，droppedintosilence。’IhavebeentakingMary—LadyCuxhaven—totherailwaystationonthisnewlinebetweenBirminghamandLondon，’andIthoughtIwouldcomeonhere，andofferyoumycongratulations。Clare，whichistheyounglady？’
—puttingupherglasses，andlookingatCynthiaandMolly，whoweredressedprettymuchalike。’Ididnotthinkitwouldbeamisstogiveyoualittle。
advice，mydear，’saidshe，whenCynthiahadbeenproperlypointedouttoherasbrideelect。’Ihaveheardagooddealaboutyou；andIamonlytooglad，foryourmother’ssake，—yourmotherisaveryworthywoman，anddidherdutyverywellwhileshewasinourfamily—Iamtrulyrejoiced，Isay，tohearthatyouaregoingtomakesocreditableamarriage。Ihopeitwilleffaceyourformererrorsofconduct—which，wewillhope，werebuttrivialinreality—andthatyouwilllivetobeacomforttoyourmother，—forwhombothLordCumnorandIentertainaverysincereregard。