He said, "I have great and good news to impart to you, Malcolm; yet I am in a dilemma growing out of it." "Tell me the good news first, Sir George," I replied. "The dilemma may wait." "Is Doll a very beautiful girl?" he asked eagerly. "I believe she is the most beautiful woman in the world," I answered. "Good, good," he replied, rubbing his hands. "Is she so fascinating, brilliant, and attractive, think you--of course I speak in jest--but think you she might vie with the court ladies for beauty, and think you she might attract--for the sake of illustration I will say--might she attract a man like Leicester?" "Unless I am much mistaken," I answered, "Leicester is over his ears in love with the girl now." "Ah, do you believe so, Malcolm?" replied Sir George, laughing and slapping his thigh, as he walked to and fro across the room. "You have seen so much of that sort of thing that you should know it when it comes under your nose. Eh, Malcolm, eh?" "I should suppose that any one, however inexperienced in such matters, could easily see Leicester's infatuation for Dorothy. If you wish me to tell you what I really believe--" "I do, I do," interrupted Sir George. "I should say," I continued, "that Dorothy has deliberately gone in for conquest. Leave the girl to herself, Sir George. She can conduct the campaign without help from any one. She understands the art of such warfare as well as if she were a veteran." "Gad, but she does, but she does. I believe she could give Venus herself some good points in the matter. But let me tell you, Malcolm,"--the old man dropped his voice to a whisper,--"I questioned Doll this morning, and she confessed that Leicester had spoken words of love to her. Would it not be a great match for our house?" He said "our house," mind you, not "our Doll." I might call his condition of mind patrimonial selfishness. Simple old man! He did not know that words of love are not necessarily words of marriage. "Has Leicester spoken to you?" I asked in alarm for John's sake. "No, no, he has not spoken," returned my cousin; "for that, of course, he must have the queen's consent. But he will speak, I am sure, all in good time, Malcolm, all in good time." "How about the Stanleys?" I asked. "They will be here this afternoon." "That's the devil's finger in the matter," cried Sir George. "That's where my dilemma lies. How shall I put them off, and still retain them in case nothing should come from Leicester? Besides, I am in honor bound to the earl." "I have a plan," I replied. "You carry out your part of the agreement with the earl, but let Dorothy, at the last moment, refuse to give her consent. Let her ask for more time, on the plea that she does not know her mind. I will suggest to her, if you wish, the part she is to play; but I will conceal from her the fact that you are a party to it."