Miss Waddington; but he heard
her talked of as his granddaughter without expressing anger, and
with Sir Henry he himself so spoke of her. He appeared to be quite
reconciled to the marriage. In spite of all his entreaties to George,
all his attempted bribery, his broken-hearted sorrow when he failed,
he seemed to be now content. Indeed, he had made no opposition to the
match. When Caroline had freely spoken to him about it, he made some
little snappish remark as to the fickleness of women; but he at the
same time signified that he would not object.

Why should he? Sir Henry Harcourt was in every respect a good match
for his granddaughter. He had often been angry with George Bertram
because George had not prospered in the world. Sir Henry had
prospered signally--would probably prosper much more signally. Might
it not be safely predicated of a man who was solicitor-general
before he was thirty, that he would be lord-chancellor or lord
chief-justice, or at any rate some very bigwig indeed before he was
fifty? So of course Mr. Bertram did not object.

But he had not signified his acquiescence in any very cordial way.
Rich old men, when they wish to be cordial on such occasions, have
but one way of evincing cordiality. It is not by a pressure of the
hand, by a kind word, by an approving glance. Their embrace conveys
no satisfaction; their warmest words, if unsupported, are very cold.
An old man, if he intends to be cordial on such an occasion, must
speak of _thousands of pounds_. "My dear young fellow, I approve
altogether. She shall have _twenty thousand pounds_ the day she
becomes yours." Then is the hand shaken with true fervour; then is
real cordiality expressed and felt. "What a dear old man grandpapa
is! Is there any one like him? Dear old duck! He is going to be so
generous to Harry."

But Mr. Bertram said nothing about twenty thousand pounds, nothing
about ten, nothing about money at all till he was spoken to on the
subject. It was Sir Henry's special object not to be pressing on
this point, to show that he was marrying Caroline without any sordid
views, and that his admiration for Mr. Bertram had no bearing at all
on that gentleman's cash-box. He did certainly make little feints
at Mr. Pritchett; but Mr. Pritchett merely wheezed and said nothing.
Mr. Pritchett was not fond of the Harcourt interest; and seemed to
care but little for Miss Caroline, now that she had transferred her
affections.

But it was essentia