received him with congratulations.
"I am so glad to think that you should marry early," his mother said to
him in a whisper.

"But I am not married yet, mother," he answered.

"Do show me a lock of her hair," said Fanny, laughing.

"It's twice prettier hair than yours, though she doesn't think half so
much about it as you do," said her brother, pinching Fanny's arm.

"But you'll show me a lock, wont you?" said Fanny.

"I'm so glad she's to be here at my marriage," said Mary; "because then
Edward will know her. I'm so glad that he will see her."

"Edward will have other fish to fry, and won't care much about her,"
said Harry.

"It seems you're going to do the regular thing," said his father, "like
all the good apprentices. Marry your master's daughter, and then become
Lord Mayor of London."

This was not the view in which it had pleased Harry to regard his
engagement. All the other "young men" that had gone to Mr. Burton's had
married Mr. Burton's daughters--or, at least, enough had done so to
justify the Stratton assertion that all had fallen into the same trap.
The Burtons, with their five girls, were supposed in Stratton to have
managed their affairs very well, and something of these hints had
reached Harry's ears. He would have preferred that the thing should not
have been made so common, but he was not fool enough to make himself
really unhappy on that head.

"I don't know much about becoming Lord Mayor," he replied. "That
promotion doesn't lie exactly in our line."

"But marrying your master's daughter does, it seems," said the Rector.
Harry thought that this, as coming from his father, was almost
ill-natured, and therefore dropped the conversation.

"I'm sure we shall like her," said Fanny.

"I think that I shall like Harry's choice," said Mrs. Clavering.

"I do hope Edward will like her," said Mary.

"Mary," said her sister, "I do wish you were once married. When you are,
you'll begin to have a self of your own again. Now you're no better than
an unconscious echo."

"Wait for your own turn, my dear," said the mother.

Harry had reached home on a Saturday, and the following Monday was
Christmas-day. Lady Clavering, he was told, was at home at the park, and
Sir Hugh had been there lately. No one from the house except the
servants were seen at church, either on the Sunday or on Christmas-day.
"But that shows nothing," said the Rector, speaking in anger. "He very
rarely does come, and when he does