“Yes, the parish register could have told you that,” put in Lady Millicent sarcastically; “but I confess to seeing no connection whatever between your brother’s age and his marriage.” She fixed her eyes firmly on her son as she spoke. They were large, handsome, defiant eyes, the only good feature in her face--good, that is, if a feature can be called so which assists to give a hard and unfeminine expression to its owner’s countenance. Again Horace endeavoured to pass the matter lightly and playfully off. “Well, it _is_ very absurd, I daresay,” he said; “but somehow or other, though, the two _do_ seem to be connected. Perhaps, as I said before, Arthur does not quite like marrying _in forma pauperis_. He may expect that the tremendously important event of his coming of age would be ushered in by a ‘ceremony’ which would require his presence. You can understand, my dear mother,” Horace went on rather hurriedly, for he felt that he was treading on dangerous ground,--“you can understand that this is rather an--an awkward subject to talk over with you; and besides, you will, I am sure, enter into his feelings about Mr. Duberly. He is, as I said before, a capital old fellow; but, nevertheless, he _may_ perhaps take it into his head to think that Arthur’s family might--might come forward--” “Come forward! Why, the man’s father was a cowkeeper, or a butterman, or something of that kind! You don’t mean to say that _they_ are going to make difficulties?” “Not _difficulties_. O, no. Mr. Duberly would never run the risk of ‘dear Sophy’ losing what she had set her heart on. I believe that if she wished to marry the chimney-sweep--” “Which would be not at all an unsuitable alliance.” They all laughed, following Lady Millicent’s lead, that lady evidently thinking that she had made rather a happy hit. Kate, however, who was growing nervous, telegraphed to her brother a hint that he should be silent--a caution which the wilful Horace utterly disregarded. “Poor old Atty,” Horace said, very impertinently his mother thought (in fact, it was really surprising how greatly his approaching emancipation was awakening the spirit of self-assertion in his juvenile breast),--“poor old Atty, it is terrible to think that he should be driven at his time of life by force of circumstances and adverse fate to such awful _encanaillement_ as this!” “I don’t know what you mean by ‘adverse circumstances,’” said Lady Millicent, looking very stern, and rising from her chair with a considerable accession of dignity; “if young men will be extravagant and get into debt, they must take the consequences;” and having so said, Lady Millicent, after signing to her daughters to remain where they were, swept grandly out of the room. “O, Horace, how could you!” exclaimed Kate in an awe-struck whisper.