lling her of certain
restrictions in reference to the marriage, if it came off, which I
should feel it my duty as a father to impose; and which I shall proceed,
in short, to explain to you. As a man of the world, my dear Sir, you
know as well as I do, that young ladies don't give very straightforward
answers on the subject of their prepossessions in favour of young
gentlemen. But I got enough out of her to show me that you had made
pretty good use of your time--no occasion to despond, you know--I leave
_you_ to make her speak plain; it's more in your line than mine, more a
good deal. And now let us come to the business part of the transaction.
All I have to say is this:--if you agree to my proposals, then I agree
to yours. I think that's fair enough--Eh?"

"Quite fair, Mr. Sherwin."

"Just so. Now, in the first place, my daughter is too young to be
married yet. She was only seventeen last birthday."

"You astonish me! I should have imagined her three years older at
least."

"Everybody thinks her older than she is--everybody, my dear Sir--and she
certainly looks it. She's more formed, more developed I may say, than
most girls at her age. However, that's not the point. The plain fact is,
she's too young to be married now--too young in a moral point of view;
too young in an educational point of view; too young altogether. Well:
the upshot of this is, that I could not give my consent to Margaret's
marrying, until another year is out--say a year from this time. One
year's courtship for the finishing off of her education, and the
formation of her constitution--you understand me, for the formation of
her constitution."

A year to wait! At first, this seemed a long trial to endure, a trial
that ought not to be imposed on me. But the next moment, the delay
appeared in a different light. Would it not be the dearest of privileges
to be able to see Margaret, perhaps every day, perhaps for hours at a
time? Would it not be happiness enough to observe each development of
her character, to watch her first maiden love for me, advancing nearer
and nearer towards confidence and maturity the oftener we met? As I
thought on this, I answered Mr. Sherwin without further hesitation.

"It will be some trial," I said, "to my patience, though none to my
constancy, none to the strength of my affection--I will wait the year."

"Exactly so," rejoined Mr. Sherwin; "such candour and such
reasonableness were to be expected from one who is quite