Then the two men were alone. Sir Thomas's mind had recurred to Neefit at the first moment of Ralph's request. The young man was going to consult him as to the best mode of getting rid of that embarrassment. But in the hall another idea had come upon him. He was to be asked for his consent regarding Clarissa. As he seated himself in one chair and asked Ralph to take another, he had not quite made up his mind as to the answer he would give. There must at any rate be some delay. The reader will of course remember that Sir Thomas was persuaded that Ralph had engaged himself to marry Polly Neefit. Ralph rushed boldly at his subject at once. "Sir Thomas," he said, "I am going to make a proposition, and I wish to ask you for your consent. I have made up my mind that the sooner I marry in my present condition the better." Sir Thomas smiled and assented. "And I want to know whether you will object to my asking Miss Bonner to be my wife." "Miss Bonner!" said Sir Thomas, throwing up both his hands. "Yes, sir;--is there any objection on your part?" Sir Thomas hardly knew how to say whether there was or was not an objection on his part. In the first place he had made up his mind that the other Ralph was to marry Mary,--that he would do so in spite of that disclaimer which had been made in the first moment of the young man's disinheritance. He, Sir Thomas, however, could have no right to object on that score. Nor could he raise any objection on the score of Clarissa. It did seem to him that all the young people were at cross purposes, that Patience must have been very stupid and Clarissa most addlepated, or else that this Ralph was abominably false; but still, he could say nothing respecting that. No tale had reached his ears which made it even possible for him to refer to Clarissa. But yet he was dissatisfied with the man, and was disposed to show it. "Perhaps I ought to tell you," said Sir Thomas, "that a man calling himself Neefit was with me yesterday." "Oh, yes; the breeches-maker." "I believe he said that such was his trade. He assured me that you had borrowed large sums of money from him." "I do owe him some money." "A thousand pounds, I think he said." "Certainly as much as that." "Not for breeches,--which I suppose would be impossible, but for money advanced." "Part one and part the other," said Ralph. "And he went on to tell me that you were engaged,--to marry his daughter." "That is untrue." "Were you never engaged to her?" "I was never engaged to her, Sir Thomas." "And it was all a lie on the part of Mr. Neefit? Was there no foundation for it? You had told me yourself that you thought of such a marriage." "There is nothing to justify him in saying that I was ever engaged to the young lady. The truth is that I did ask her and she,--refused me." "You did ask her?" "I did ask her," said Ralph. "In earnest?"