"I confess to you, when the thing was first in agitation, my
aristocratic blood roused itself a little at the anticipated connexion;
but finding on examination that Sir Edward was of no doubtful lineage,
and that the blood of the Chattertons runs in his veins, and finding the
young lady everything I could wish in a sister, my scruples soon
disappeared, with the folly that engendered them.
"There was no necessity for any alarm, for the lady very decidedly
refused the honor offered her by Derwent, and what makes the matter
worse, refused the solicitations of his sister also.
"I have fifty times been surprised at my own condescension, and to this
moment am at a loss to know whether it was to the lady's worth, my
brother's happiness, or the Chatterton blood, that I finally yielded.
Heigho! this Chatterton is certainly much too handsome for a man; but I
forget you have never seen him." (Here an arch smile stole over the
features of the listener, as his sister continued)--"To return to my
narration, I had half a mind to send for a Miss Harris there is here, to
learn the most approved fashion of a lady preferring a suit, but as fame
said she was just now practising on a certain hero ycleped Captain
Jarvis, heir to Sir Timo of that name, it struck me her system might be
rather too abrupt, so I was fain to adopt the best plan--that of
trusting to nature and my own feelings for words.
"Nobility is certainly a very pretty thing (for those who have it), but
I would defy the old Margravine of ---- to keep up the semblance of
superiority with Emily Moseley. She is so very natural, so very
beautiful, and withal at times a little arch, that one is afraid to set
up any other distinctions than such as can be fairly supported.
"I commenced with hoping her determination to reject the hand of
Frederick was not an unalterable one. (Yes, I called him Frederick, what
I never did out of my own family before in my life.) There was a
considerable tremor in the voice of Miss Moseley, as she replied, 'I now
perceive, when too late, that my indiscretion has given reason to my
friends to think that I have entertained intentions towards his grace,
of which I entreat you to believe me, Lady Harriet, I am innocent.
Indeed--indeed, as anything more than an agreeable acquaintance I have
never allowed myself to think of your brother:' and from my soul I
believe her. We continued our conversation for half an hour longer, and
such was the ingenuousness, delicacy, and high religious feeling
displayed by the charming girl, that if I entered the room with a spark
of regret that I was compelled to solicit another to favor my brother's
love, I left it with a feeling that my efforts had been unsuccessful.
Yes! thou peerless sister of the more peerless Pendennyss! I once
thought of your ladyship as a wife for Derwent--"
A glass of water was necessary to enable the reader to clear her voice,
which grew husky from speaking so long.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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