"I was not thinking of myself. I meant among you here. The church seems to carry everything before it." It seemed to the Dean, who was sufficiently mindful of his daughter's fortune, and who knew to a penny what was the very liberal income of Canon Holdenough, that in these marriages the church had at least given as much as it had got. "The church holds its own," said the Dean, "and I hope that it always will. May I venture to express a hope that the Marchioness is well." "Not very well." "I am sorry for that. Shall I not have the pleasure of seeing her to-day?" The Marquis looked as though he were almost astounded at the impudence of the proposition; but he replied to it by the excuse that he had made before. "Unless you speak Italian I'm afraid you would not get on very well with her." "She will not find that I have the Tuscan tongue or the Roman mouth, but I have enough of the language to make myself perhaps intelligible to her ladyship." "We will postpone it for the present, if you please, Mr. Dean." There was an insolence declared in the man's manner and almost declared in his words, which made the Dean at once determine that he would never again ask after the new Marchioness, and that he would make no allusion whatever to the son. A man may say that his wife is too unwell to receive strangers without implying that the wish to see her should not have been expressed. The visitor bowed, and then the two men both sat silent for some moments. "You have not seen your brother since you have been back?" the Dean said at last. "I have not seen him. I don't know where he is, or anything about him." "They live in London,--in Munster Court." "Very likely. He didn't consult me about his marriage, and I don't know anything about his concerns." "He told you of it,--before it took place." "Very likely,--though I do not exactly see how that concerns you and me." "You must be aware that he is married to--my daughter." "Quite so." "That would, generally, be supposed to give a common interest." "Ah! I dare say. You feel it so, no doubt. I am glad that you are satisfied by an alliance with my family. You are anxious for me to profess that it is reciprocal." "I am anxious for nothing of the kind," said the Dean, jumping up from his chair. "I have nothing to get and nothing to lose by the alliance. The usual courtesies of life are pleasant to me." "I wish that you would use them then on the present occasion by being a little quieter." "Your brother has married a lady, and my daughter has married a gentleman." "Yes; George is a great ass; in some respects the greatest ass I know; but he is a gentleman. Perhaps if you have anything else that you wish to say you will do me the honour of sitting down."