t; and
then you must take him, or make him understand that he is not to be
taken." Gerard Maule had chosen to come; but Adelaide Palliser had
not as yet quite made up her mind.

Perhaps there is nothing so generally remarkable in the conduct of
young ladies in the phase of life of which we are now speaking as the
facility,--it may almost be said audacity,--with which they do make
up their minds. A young man seeks a young woman's hand in marriage,
because she has waltzed stoutly with him, and talked pleasantly
between the dances;--and the young woman gives it, almost with
gratitude. As to the young man, the readiness of his action is less
marvellous than hers. He means to be master, and, by the very nature
of the joint life they propose to lead, must take her to his sphere
of life, not bind himself to hers. If he worked before he will work
still. If he was idle before he will be idle still; and he probably
does in some sort make a calculation and strike a balance between his
means and the proposed additional burden of a wife and children. But
she, knowing nothing, takes a monstrous leap in the dark, in which
everything is to be changed, and in which everything is trusted to
chance. Miss Palliser, however, differing in this from the majority
of her friends and acquaintances, frightened, perhaps by those
representations of her sister to which she would not altogether
yield, had paused, and was still pausing. "Where should we go and
live if I did marry him?" she said to Lady Chiltern.

"I suppose he has an opinion of his own on that subject?"

"Not in the least, I should think."

"Has he never said anything about it?"

"Oh dear no. Matters have not got so far as that at all;--nor would
they ever, out of his own head. If we were married and taken away to
the train he would only ask what place he should take the tickets for
when he got to the station."

"Couldn't you manage to live at Maule Abbey?"

"Perhaps we might; only there is no furniture, and, as I am told,
only half a roof."

"It does seem to be absurd that you two should not make up your mind,
just as other people do," said Lady Chiltern. "Of course he is not a
rich man, but you have known that all along."

"It is not a question of wealth or poverty, but of an utterly
lack-a-daisical indifference to everything in the world."

"He is not indifferent to you."

"That is the marvellous part of it," said Miss Palliser. This was
said on the evening of the fa