tell her also that if he had asked her
daughter instead, she would have given him herself and her fortune quite
as willingly, and, I believe, more willingly, than to Colonel Vaughan.
With her it is a case of "first come first served."'

When Freda had given her message to Lady Mary Nugent, she walked out of
the room. But scarcely had she crossed the hall when she turned again
and re-entered it.

'Papa, I must beg you _not_ to tell Lady Mary Nugent that Rowland
Prothero proposed for me. He is at least a gentleman, and a man of
honour, and deserves to be treated as such with all due courtesy. The
more I see of men, the more I begin to think him one of the few true
gentlemen one meets with. I should not even have told you this had it
not escaped me in reply to what you said, because I thought it would
annoy you, and perhaps make you feel unkindly towards the Prothero
family. But you may tell her, if you like, that were Rowland Prothero
not the gentleman I begin to perceive he is, Miss Nugent and her money
might be his.'

'But, Freda--after all--if you do like him. You see, his uncle married a
Perry, one of the oldest families in Herefordshire, niece of the
baronet, daughter of the dean, cousin of the present baronet.'

'My dear father! I know all the Perrys by heart. Mrs Jonathan is not
likely to have left me ignorant of their antiquity. But, pray, do you
want to get rid of me, that you force me upon poor Rowland, or him upon
me, whichever it may be?'

'Of course not, my dear. Only I am naturally anxious to see you settled.
And if you really like him--'

'But I am settled, and I do not like him; that is to say, I like him
well enough, fifty times better than I used to like him, but I have not
the most remote intention of marrying him. And now, I should like to
know what particular reason Lady Mary Nugent had for putting this absurd
notion into your head. There must be something, my dear papa, under all
this sudden anxiety to get me married. You used rather to rejoice when I
declined settling Glanyravon on a suitor.'

'Yes, my dear--but--you see--it is not quite certain that Glanyravon--I
mean that you--I mean that I--in short--the fact is--you are so
impetuous, Freda.'

'What can my impetuosity have to do with it?'

Freda saw that her father was more than usually nervous and fidgety, and
became alarmed lest there should be some sudden money difficulty, as any
threat, however slight, of debt or involvement alway