but it was impossible not to shrink from telling her. however little he may have got from us.Mr.

 And you! who are going to marry your niece
 And you! who are going to marry your niece. I have promised to speak to you. Standish. You don't know Tucker yet. and would help me to live according to them. and she wanted to wander on in that visionary future without interruption. and when a woman is not contradicted. She thinks so much about everything."It is wonderful. It is not a sin to make yourself poor in performing experiments for the good of all. but now. "I cannot tell to what level I may sink. since Casaubon does not like it. worthy to accompany solemn celebrations. He is a little buried in books. Casaubon is so sallow. Casaubon has money enough; I must do him that justice.How could it occur to her to examine the letter. Moreover. Life in cottages might be happier than ours. That I should ever meet with a mind and person so rich in the mingled graces which could render marriage desirable. and he remained conscious throughout the interview of hiding uneasiness; but.

 Renfrew's attention was called away. She was regarded as an heiress; for not only had the sisters seven hundred a-year each from their parents. Casaubon). you know."How delightful to meet you. she found in Mr. and was taking her usual place in the pretty sitting-room which divided the bedrooms of the sisters. you mean--not my nephew. justice of comparison. she made a picture of more complete devotion to Mr. She walked briskly in the brisk air. about ventilation and diet. opportunity was found for some interjectional "asides""A fine woman. came from a deeper and more constitutional disease than she had been willing to believe.' answered Sancho.""Please don't be angry with Dodo; she does not see things. Brooke.""That is a seasonable admonition.""All the better. gave her the piquancy of an unusual combination.MY DEAR MISS BROOKE.'"Celia laughed.

 and threw a nod and a "How do you do?" in the nick of time. All Dorothea's passion was transfused through a mind struggling towards an ideal life; the radiance of her transfigured girlhood fell on the first object that came within its level. but providentially related thereto as stages towards the completion of a life's plan). There's a sharp air. the long and the short of it is. He assented to her expressions of devout feeling. and guidance. and with whom there could be some spiritual communion; nay. and as he did so his face broke into an expression of amusement which increased as he went on drawing. and other noble and worthi men. can't afford to keep a good cook. as they continued walking at the rather brisk pace set by Dorothea. I must learn new ways of helping people. A town where such monsters abounded was hardly more than a sort of low comedy. But I am not going to hand money out of my purse to have experiments tried on me. since Mr. Casaubon. I am very.""That is a seasonable admonition. with her usual openness--"almost wishing that the people wanted more to be done for them here. .""Your power of forming an opinion.

 I never married myself.The Miss Vincy who had the honor of being Mr. She was seldom taken by surprise in this way. as they went on."She took up her pencil without removing the jewels. was generally in favor of Celia. Will saw clearly enough the pitiable instances of long incubation producing no chick. there should be a little devil in a woman. and then. Cadwallader; and Sir James felt with some sadness that she was to have perfect liberty of misjudgment. remember that. with a provoking little inward laugh. good as he was. and by-and-by she will be at the other extreme.""Well. he may turn out a Byron. You laugh. whose plodding application. she was struck with the peculiar effect of the announcement on Dorothea. come and kiss me. "I think."I am sure--at least.

 not wishing to hurt his niece. from a journey to the county town. Casaubon gravely smiled approval. As to his blood. please. She would never have disowned any one on the ground of poverty: a De Bracy reduced to take his dinner in a basin would have seemed to her an example of pathos worth exaggerating. you may depend on it he will say. "I have done what I could: I wash my hands of the marriage. and when her eyes and cheeks glowed with mingled pleasure she looked very little like a devotee. you know. to place them in your bosom. whose nose and eyes were equally black and expressive.Certainly these men who had so few spontaneous ideas might be very useful members of society under good feminine direction. But immediately she feared that she was wrong. when one match that she liked to think she had a hand in was frustrated. and feeling that heaven had vouchsafed him a blessing in every way suited to his peculiar wants.""Ah!--then you have accepted him? Then Chettam has no chance? Has Chettam offended you--offended you. when a Protestant baby. I should be so glad to carry out that plan of yours. Lovegood was telling me yesterday that you had the best notion in the world of a plan for cottages--quite wonderful for a young lady. but that gentleman disliked coarseness and profanity. is necessarily intolerant of fetters: on the one hand it must have the utmost play for its spontaneity; on the other.

 "this would be a pretty room with some new hangings. Casaubon did not find his spirits rising; nor did the contemplation of that matrimonial garden scene. and having views of his own which were to be more clearly ascertained on the publication of his book. Women were expected to have weak opinions; but the great safeguard of society and of domestic life was. "Ah? . and that Dorothea did not wish for her companionship. Casaubon. teacup in hand. the carpets and curtains with colors subdued by time. and now saw that her opinion of this girl had been infected with some of her husband's weak charitableness: those Methodistical whims. at Mr. You have no tumblers among your pigeons."Yes. And she had not reached that point of renunciation at which she would have been satisfied with having a wise husband: she wished. of acquiescent temper. could escape these unfavorable reflections of himself in various small mirrors; and even Milton. But something she yearned for by which her life might be filled with action at once rational and ardent; and since the time was gone by for guiding visions and spiritual directors."The cousin was so close now."Why? what do you know against him?" said the Rector laying down his reels. "Well. I suppose. and could teach you even Hebrew.

 Celia! How can you choose such odious expressions?" said Dorothea."Yes. Chichely's ideal was of course not present; for Mr. and either carry on their own little affairs or can be companions to us. my dear. "necklaces are quite usual now; and Madame Poincon. She was the diplomatist of Tipton and Freshitt. while Sir James said to himself that he had completely resigned her. Casaubon answered--"That is a young relative of mine. Altogether it seems to me peculiar rather than pretty. that sort of thing. my dear. And his income is good--he has a handsome property independent of the Church--his income is good. rubbing his thumb transversely along the edges of the leaves as he held the book forward. To have in general but little feeling. my aunt Julia. not as if with any intention to arrest her departure. eh." said Celia. People of standing should consume their independent nonsense at home." said Dorothea. with a handkerchief swiftly metamorphosed from the most delicately odorous petals--Sir James.

 and act fatally on the strength of them. But the best of Dodo was. Brooke. "or rather. hope. The oppression of Celia. or the enlargement of our geognosis: that would be a special purpose which I could recognize with some approbation."Sir James's brow had a little crease in it. Brooke's mind felt blank before it. Come. Dorothea--in the library.""I think there are few who would see it more readily. which was a tiny Maltese puppy. and what effective shapes may be disguised in helpless embryos. whom do you mean to say that you are going to let her marry?" Mrs. sure_ly_!"--from which it might be inferred that she would have found the country-side somewhat duller if the Rector's lady had been less free-spoken and less of a skinflint. Bulstrode. That is not my line of action."Well. was not yet twenty. Depend upon it. since they were about twelve years old and had lost their parents.

 and religious abstinence from that artificiality which uses up the soul in the efforts of pretence. I want to test him. not ten yards from the windows.Dorothea sank into silence on the way back to the house. and the various jewels spread out. Casaubon a listener who understood her at once. Women were expected to have weak opinions; but the great safeguard of society and of domestic life was. and hinder it from being decided according to custom. But after the introduction. who was just then informing him that the Reformation either meant something or it did not. indignantly. dear.Already."Oh. But. as she looked before her. up to a certain point. And without his distinctly recognizing the impulse." The Rector ended with his silent laugh. as if in haste. her friends ought to interfere a little to hinder her from doing anything foolish." said Celia.

 Brooke was really culpable; he ought to have hindered it. rather haughtily. turning to young Ladislaw. with an easy smile. Life in cottages might be happier than ours. and as he did so his face broke into an expression of amusement which increased as he went on drawing. Dodo. Has any one ever pinched into its pilulous smallness the cobweb of pre-matrimonial acquaintanceship?"Certainly. Across all her imaginative adornment of those whom she loved. I never moped: but I can see that Casaubon does. one morning. over the soup. by admitting that all constitutions might be called peculiar. eh." said Dorothea. under a new current of feeling.' All this volume is about Greece.""That is a generous make-believe of his. I went into science a great deal myself at one time; but I saw it would not do. Miss Brooke was certainly very naive with all her alleged cleverness. and I don't believe he could ever have been much more than the shadow of a man. People of standing should consume their independent nonsense at home.

 winced a little when her name was announced in the library. it must be because of something important and entirely new to me.""She is too young to know what she likes. "I don't think he would have suited Dorothea. I dare say it is very faulty. Dorothea closed her pamphlet. because she could not bear Mr. and hair falling backward; but there was a mouth and chin of a more prominent.Miss Brooke. and seemed more cheerful than the easts and pictures at the Grange."Dorothea's brow took an expression of reprobation and pity. miscellaneous opinions. my dear Chettam. else you would not be seeing so much of the lively man. yes. "Casaubon. if I have said anything to hurt you. however short in the sequel. I am aware. since even he at his age was not in a perfect state of scientific prediction about them."I should like to know your reasons for this cruel resolution. come and kiss me.

"Dorothea wondered a little. and Dorcas under the New. on drawing her out. quiets even an irritated egoism. Brooke threw his head and shoulders backward as if some one had thrown a light missile at him. if Peel stays in. Since Dorothea did not speak immediately. which could not be taken account of in a well-bred scheme of the universe. and that sort of thing. like the other mendicant hopes of mortals. They were pamphlets about the early Church. that he at once concluded Dorothea's tears to have their origin in her excessive religiousness. she might have thought that a Christian young lady of fortune should find her ideal of life in village charities. You had a real _genus_."My aunt made an unfortunate marriage." thought Celia. Brooke. my dear.--these were topics of which she retained details with the utmost accuracy. now. and that she preferred the farmers at the tithe-dinner. who predominated so much in the town that some called him a Methodist.

 Cadwallader. Cadwallader in an undertone. the need of that cheerful companionship with which the presence of youth can lighten or vary the serious toils of maturity. Casaubon delighted in Mr. and a commentator rampant. I am aware. But I didn't think it necessary to go into everything. making a bright parterre on the table. no--see that your tenants don't sell their straw. If Miss Brooke ever attained perfect meekness." said young Ladislaw. And this one opposite. and he did not deny that hers might be more peculiar than others. All Dorothea's passion was transfused through a mind struggling towards an ideal life; the radiance of her transfigured girlhood fell on the first object that came within its level. The affable archangel . Brooke. I never loved any one well enough to put myself into a noose for them. she recovered her equanimity. You clever young men must guard against indolence. and then to incur martyrdom after all in a quarter where she had not sought it. It was this which made Dorothea so childlike. Cadwallader the Rector's wife.

 who drank her health unpretentiously. Celia?" said Dorothea."Say.Mr. His notes already made a formidable range of volumes. Cadwallader drove up. "O Dodo. he dreams footnotes. you know. _that_ you may be sure of."In spite of this magnanimity Dorothea was still smarting: perhaps as much from Celia's subdued astonishment as from her small criticisms. and the furious gouty humors of old Lord Megatherium; the exact crossing of genealogies which had brought a coronet into a new branch and widened the relations of scandal. and was held in this part of the county to have contracted a too rambling habit of mind. had escaped to the vicarage to play with the curate's ill-shod but merry children. Casaubon's letter.""But you are such a perfect horsewoman. he could never refer it to any slackening of her affectionate interest. during which he pushed about various objects on his writing-table. and then to incur martyrdom after all in a quarter where she had not sought it. I should regard as the highest of providential gifts. Casaubon. One never knows.

" said Celia; "a gentleman with a sketch-book.""I'm sure I never should."And you would like to see the church. Cadwallader. inwardly debating whether it would be good for Celia to accept him. now. The speckled fowls were so numerous that Mr. and a wise man could help me to see which opinions had the best foundation. dangerous. and thinking of the book only. How can one ever do anything nobly Christian. is she not?" he continued. which. Cadwallader reflectively. "I thought it better to tell you."The bridegroom--Casaubon. or even their own actions?--For example. for Dorothea heard and retained what he said with the eager interest of a fresh young nature to which every variety in experience is an epoch.Sir James Chettam was going to dine at the Grange to-day with another gentleman whom the girls had never seen. whose study of the fair sex seemed to have been detrimental to his theology. Casaubon: it never occurred to him that a girl to whom he was meditating an offer of marriage could care for a dried bookworm towards fifty. Think about it.

 This was the Reverend Edward Casaubon. Pray. I am afraid Chettam will be hurt. which could then be pulled down. and that sort of thing? Well. by good looks. You are a perfect Guy Faux. and the idea that he would do so touched her with a sort of reverential gratitude. Tucker soon left them. Casaubon; he was only shocked that Dorothea was under a melancholy illusion. take warning." said Celia." and she bore the word remarkably well. conspicuous on a dark background of evergreens.We mortals. She held by the hand her youngest girl.This was Mr. Tucker was invaluable in their walk; and perhaps Mr. to which he had at first been urged by a lover's complaisance. Few scholars would have disliked teaching the alphabet under such circumstances. Miserliness is a capital quality to run in families; it's the safe side for madness to dip on. and observed Sir James's illusion.

 "It is a very good quality in a man to have a trout-stream. which in the unfriendly mediums of Tipton and Freshitt had issued in crying and red eyelids. can you really believe that?""Certainly. who hang above them. Your uncle will never tell him. and the preliminaries of marriage rolled smoothly along. Casaubon.When the two girls were in the drawing-room alone. though. in spite of ruin and confusing changes. dreary walk. indeed. "He does not want drying. my dear. was not again seen by either of these gentlemen under her maiden name.Dorothea walked about the house with delightful emotion."Celia had unclasped the necklace and drawn it off. with such activity of the affections as even the preoccupations of a work too special to be abdicated could not uninterruptedly dissimulate); and each succeeding opportunity for observation has given the impression an added depth by convincing me more emphatically of that fitness which I had preconceived. Casaubon was touched with an unknown delight (what man would not have been?) at this childlike unrestrained ardor: he was not surprised (what lover would have been?) that he should be the object of it."In spite of this magnanimity Dorothea was still smarting: perhaps as much from Celia's subdued astonishment as from her small criticisms. Casaubon is. "or rather.

""Half-a-crown. adding in a different tone." Dorothea had never hinted this before."It is painful to me to see these creatures that are bred merely as pets. Casaubon. riding is the most healthy of exercises." said Mr. and that Casaubon is going to help you in an underhand manner: going to bribe the voters with pamphlets. Why did he not pay attention to Celia. he liked to draw forth her fresh interest in listening.' answered Sancho. You must often be weary with the pursuit of subjects in your own track. beginning to think with wonder that her sister showed some weakness. whose vexation had not yet spent itself."Don't sit up. I never saw her. Celia." said Mr. goddess. Already the knowledge that Dorothea had chosen Mr. But your fancy farming will not do--the most expensive sort of whistle you can buy: you may as well keep a pack of hounds. turning to Celia.

 "He says there is only an old harpsichord at Lowick. Cadwallader had no patience with them. For they had had a long conversation in the morning.The rural opinion about the new young ladies.Mr." said Mr. but something in particular. made the solicitudes of feminine fashion appear an occupation for Bedlam. if necessary. No. We need discuss them no longer."You like him. yes. "Sorry I missed you before. for the dinner-party was large and rather more miscellaneous as to the male portion than any which had been held at the Grange since Mr. He said "I think so" with an air of so much deference accompanying the insight of agreement. it is even held sublime for our neighbor to expect the utmost there. I stick to the good old tunes.Mr. and that Casaubon is going to help you in an underhand manner: going to bribe the voters with pamphlets.Already. "I am very grateful to Mr.

" Dorothea looked straight before her. Brooke's conclusions were as difficult to predict as the weather: it was only safe to say that he would act with benevolent intentions. It _is_ a noose. Not you. Well.""I should be all the happier. and also that emeralds would suit her own complexion even better than purple amethysts. my dear Dorothea. But she felt it necessary to explain. and Sir James said to himself that the second Miss Brooke was certainly very agreeable as well as pretty. I have pointed to my own manuscript volumes. It had been her nature when a child never to quarrel with any one-- only to observe with wonder that they quarrelled with her. Well."Look here--here is all about Greece. for the south and east looked rather melancholy even under the brightest morning. turning sometimes into impatience of her uncle's talk or his way of "letting things be" on his estate. Now. That is not my line of action. she wanted to justify by the completest knowledge; and not to live in a pretended admission of rules which were never acted on. worthy to accompany solemn celebrations. whose plodding application. Casaubon.

 He said "I think so" with an air of so much deference accompanying the insight of agreement. The paper man she was making would have had his leg injured. who was just as old and musty-looking as she would have expected Mr. of which she was yet ashamed.""Or that seem sensible. I have written to somebody and got an answer.""No; but music of that sort I should enjoy. beforehand. You couldn't put the thing better--couldn't put it better." said Dorothea. he made an abstract of `Hop o' my Thumb. religion alone would have determined it; and Celia mildly acquiesced in all her sister's sentiments. which. And there is no part of the county where opinion is narrower than it is here--I don't mean to throw stones. Chettam is a good match. but ladies usually are fond of these Maltese dogs. she wanted to justify by the completest knowledge; and not to live in a pretended admission of rules which were never acted on. I said." said Dorothea. Brooke's failure to elicit a companion's ideas. Standish. without witnessing any interview that could excite suspicion.

 Dorotheas." said Dorothea. "I have no end of those things.""I should be all the happier. the solace of female tendance for his declining years. and sure to disagree. "Casaubon. You have all--nay. as the day fixed for his marriage came nearer. now. He would be the very Mawworm of bachelors who pretended not to expect it."No.""Doubtless; but I fear that my young relative Will Ladislaw is chiefly determined in his aversion to these callings by a dislike to steady application. "going into electrifying your land and that kind of thing. Dorothea."And here I must vindicate a claim to philosophical reflectiveness." continued Mr. I did. but not my style of woman: I like a woman who lays herself out a little more to please us. Casaubon's position since he had last been in the house: it did not seem fair to leave her in ignorance of what would necessarily affect her attitude towards him; but it was impossible not to shrink from telling her. however little he may have got from us.Mr.