truce to this, and to be serious:
I know the girl; you know, besides, something about women yourself, my
lord, and I need not say that it is unwise to rely upon the moods and
meditations of a young lady before marriage. Upon the prospect of such
an important change in their position, the best of them will assume a
great deal. The period constitutes the last limited portion of their
freedom; and, of course, all the caprices of the heart, and all the
giddy ebullitions of gratified vanity, manifest themselves so strangely,
that it is extremely difficult to understand them, or know their wishes.
Under such circumstances, my lord, they will, in the very levity of
delight, frequently say 'no,' when they mean 'yes,' and vice versa."

"Sir Thomas," replied his lordship, gravely, "marriage, instead of being
the close, should be the commencement, of their happiness. No woman,
however, of sense, whether before marriage or after it, is difficult to
be understood. Upon a subject of such importance--one that involves the
happiness of her future life--no female possessing truth and principle
would, for one moment, suffer a misconception to exist. Now your
daughter, my favorite Lucy, is a girl of fine sense and high feeling,
and I am at a loss, Sir Thomas, I assure you, to reconcile either one
or the other with your metaphysics. If Miss Gourlay sat for the
disagreeable picture you have just drawn, she must be a great hypocrite,
or you have grossly misrepresented her, which I conceive it is not now
your interest or your wish to do."

"But, my lord, I was speaking of the sex in general."

"But, sir," replied his lordship with dignity, "we are here to speak of
your daughter."

Our readers may perceive that the wily baronet was beating about the
bush, and attempting to impose upon his lordship by vague disquisitions.
He was perfectly aware of Lord Cullamore's indomitable love of truth,
and he consequently feared to treat him with a direct imposition, taking
it for granted that, if he had, an interview of ten minutes between
Lucy and his lordship might lead to an exposure of his duplicity and
falsehood. He felt himself in a painful and distressing dilemma. Aware
that, if the excellent peer had the slightest knowledge of Lucy's
loathing horror of his son, he would never lend his sanction to the
marriage, the baronet knew not whether to turn to the right or to the
left, or, in other words, whether to rely on truth or falsehood. At
length,