To gain this desirable end, the gentleman and the lady should have despaired of meeting each other again, and should have carefully avoided everything that might lead to an explanation, and they should, while very much in love with each other, have made all possible haste to give their hands to another. They ought to have married, as it were, out of spite, and then after marriage they ought to have met by accident, and to have explained; and then they ought to have compared notes, and to have made it out that one had the worst husband, and the other the worst wife, in the world; and then they would have had nothing more to do than to have made a very pretty tragical conclusion of the business, either giving employment to, what the newspapers call, the gentlemen of the long robe, or, more seriously still, causing the calling together of a coroner's jury. It was well for Robert Darnley that such was not his disposition. He thought it much the best to ascertain, if he possibly could, what were Penelope's real sentiments; and for that purpose he had already spoken to her father, and, as no result had come from speaking, he had written; and if his letter had not been soon answered, or if Mr Primrose had not arrived at Smatterton, he would have visited the party in London. CHAPTER XV. The arrival of Mr Primrose and Penelope at Smatterton gave trouble and disturbance to many minds there, and at Neverden. We shall be fortunate if, without tediousness, we can explain this. Zephaniah Pringle was troubled, because he laboured under the apprehension that some kind friend or other might communicate to the father what had been said of the daughter. And Zephaniah very naturally thought that the young lady's father would resent the insult very much to the inconvenience, bodily or mental, of the said loyal and religious critic. The elder Mr Darnley was troubled, as we have already intimated, lest this arrival should again unsettle the mind of his son. Mrs Darnley also thought it was a pity, now Robert had so nearly recovered his spirits, that there should be any probability of his being again disturbed. Miss Mary Darnley, who, by frequent literary and scientific discussions with the learned and scientific Mr Kipperson, had become a great admirer of the gentleman, was jealous of the presence of Miss Primrose again in the country. The two other young ladies, who did not like to hear their father preach, except in the pulpit, were troubled with the apprehension of long lectures on the impropriety of being improperly in love.