ithout saying a word to
Dolly indicative of his purpose.

He found that the task would be difficult, and as he went he considered
within his mind how best it might be accomplished. He had put a
prayer-book in his pocket, without giving it much thought; but before he
knocked at the door he had assured himself that the prayer-book would
not be of avail. He would not know how to begin to use it, and felt that
it would be ridiculed. He must leave that to Dolly or to the clergyman.
He could talk to the girls; but they would not care about the affairs of
the firm; and, in truth, he did not know what they would care about.
With Dolly he could hold sweet converse as long as she would remain with
him. But he had been present at the bringing up of Dolly, and did think
that gifts had been given to Dolly which had not fallen to the lot of
the Carroll girls. "They all want to be married," he said to himself,
"and that at any rate is a legitimate desire."

With this he knocked at the door, and when it was opened by Sophia, he
found an old gentleman with black cotton gloves and a doubtful white
cravat just preparing for his departure. There was Amelia, then giving
him his hat, and looking as pure and proper as though she had never been
winked at by Prince Chitakov. Then the mother came through from the
parlor into the passage. "Oh, John! how very kind of you to come. Mr.
Matterson, pray let me introduce you to my brother, Mr. Grey. John, this
is the Rev. Mr. Matterson, a clergyman who is a very intimate friend of
Amelia."

"Me, ma! Why me in particular?"

"Well, my dear, because it is so. I suppose it is so because Mr.
Patterson likes you the best."

"Laws, ma; what nonsense!" Mr. Matterson appeared to be a very shy
gentleman, and only anxious to escape from the hall-door. But Mr. Grey
remembered that in former days, before the coming of Mr. Juniper upon
the scene, he had heard of a clerical admirer. He had been told that the
gentleman's name was Matterson, that he was not very young nor very
rich, that he had five or six children, and that he could afford to
marry if the wife could bring with her about one hundred pounds a year.
He had not then thought much of Mr. Matterson, and no direct appeal had
been made to him. After that Mr. Juniper had come forward, and then Mr.
Juniper had been altogether abolished. But it occurred to Mr. Grey that
Mr. Matterson was at any rate better than Mr. Juniper; that he was by
profession a gentl