anything that
required much further immediate speech. Clara had thought somewhat
of the time which might be proposed for their marriage, making some
little resolves, with which the reader is already acquainted; but no
ideas of this kind presented themselves to Captain Aylmer. He had
asked his cousin to be his wife, thereby making good his promise to
his aunt. There could be no further necessity for pressing haste.
Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.

It is not to be supposed that the thriving lover actually spoke to
himself in such language as that,--or that he confessed to himself
that Clara Amedroz was an evil to him rather than a blessing. But
his feelings were already so far tending in that direction, that he
was by no means disposed to make any further promise, or to engage
himself in closer connection with matrimony by the mention of any
special day. Clara, finding that her companion would not talk without
encouragement from her, had to begin again, and asked all those
natural questions about his family, his brother, his sister, his home
habits, and the old house in Yorkshire, the answers to which must
be so full of interest to her. But even on these subjects he was
dry, and indisposed to answer with the full copiousness of free
communication which she desired. And at last there came a question
and an answer,--a word or two on one side, and then a word or two on
the other, from which Clara got a wound which was very sore to her.

"I have always pictured to myself," she said, "your mother as a woman
who has been very handsome."

"She is still a handsome woman, though she is over sixty."

"Tall, I suppose?"

"Yes, tall, and with something of--of--what shall I say--dignity,
about her."

"She is not grand, I hope?"

"I don't know what you call grand."

"Not grand in a bad sense;--I'm sure she is not that. But there are
some ladies who seem to stand so high above the level of ordinary
females as to make us who are ordinary quite afraid of them."

"My mother is certainly not ordinary," said Captain Aylmer.

"And I am," said Clara, laughing. "I wonder what she'll say to
me,--or, rather, what she will think of me." Then there was a
moment's silence, after which Clara, still laughing, went on. "I see,
Fred, that you have not a word of encouragement to give me about your
mother."

"She is rather particular," said Captain Aylmer.

Then Clara drew herself up, and ceased to laugh. She had called
herse