As soon as he heard them
coming, which owing to his partial deafness he did not do till they
were quite close to him, he turned round with a start, and a sudden
flush of colour came upon his pale face.
The Squire shook hands with him in a solemn sort of way, as people do
when they meet at a funeral, but Ida barely touched his outstretched
fingers with her own.
A few random remarks followed about the weather, which really for once
in a way was equal to the conversational strain put upon it. At length
these died away and there came an awful pause. It was broken by the
Squire, who, standing with his back to the fire, his eyes fixed upon
the wall opposite, after much humming and hawing, delivered himself
thus:
"I understand, Mr. Cossey, that you have come to hear my daughter's
final decision on the matter of the proposal of marriage which you
have made and renewed to her. Now, of course, this is a very important
question, very important indeed, and it is one with which I cannot
presume even to seem to interfere. Therefore, I shall without comment
leave my daughter to speak for herself."
"One moment before she does so," Mr. Cossey interrupted, drawing
indeed but a poor augury of success from Ida's icy looks. "I have come
to renew my offer and to take my final answer, and I beg Miss de la
Molle to consider how deep and sincere must be that affection which
has endured through so many rebuffs.
Pages:
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483