Mary responded to this fond raillery of her lover by an affectionate beaming smile, whilst Mr. Trevor in whose mind his son's words did not appear to awaken any suspicions, began for Mary's edification, to give an account of the name, birth, parentage and exploits of the warrior in question; which Mrs. de Burgh and Eugene interrupted, in the midst, by rising and moving from the table, and the former proposing that they should take Mary to show her over some parts of the house and gardens. Whereupon the old gentleman expressed his fears that they would find all the rooms worth seeing, "shut, and covered up, and cold--very cold" (though in truth they could not have been much colder than the one in which they now found themselves) "and the garden very desolate"--and then he went off to his library. CHAPTER XIV. And side by side the lovers sate, Their talk was of the future; from the height Of Hope, they saw the landscape bath'd in light, And where the golden dimness veil'd the gaze, Guess'd out the spot, and marked the sites of happy days. THE NEW TIMON. Then once more was Eugene at Mary's side, congratulating himself that the separation from one another--which the stupidity of the servants, out of practice in anything like civilized entertainments had occasioned them was over. "Is not that flattering, considering who was his partner in this isolation, as he calls it?" replied Mrs. de Burgh. "Stupidity, not at all! poor old Richard wished to do us honour, and he thought he could not do so to greater perfection than by putting us into the largest, coldest room, and at the longest table. Besides it could not have been better arranged, for other reasons. How well you got on with Uncle Trevor, Mary; we see that he is quiet charmed with you already." "I fear I have had little time or opportunity as yet to win or merit any such unqualified approbation," Mary replied, "though I may hope, that in time,"--looking at Eugene with a smile. "Oh, I assure you," interposed Mrs. de Burgh, laughing, "that you did a great deal in that short time. First of all you fully proved to my uncle that your appetite was of no formidable dimensions, (I know he holds mine of old in horror) not greatly above that of a sparrow. Then you only took a thimble full of wine; and he obtained full assurance that you had not been in London for ages--had no great longing to go there at all--had been accustomed, and indeed did, prefer the country; and therefore he need have no fear--when the truth is broken to him--of Eugene's being dragged off by you to London every season, his money squandered, as he fancies my husband's is (I wish, indeed, it was so squandered) upon hotel-bills and opera boxes! Oh, you did it capitally, Mary! did she not Eugene?"