e, and her eye
brighten, and she said to herself, with an inward smile of
satisfaction--

"I'll make a match of it yet--see if I don't! What a beautiful
couple they will be!"

Mrs. Martindale was one of that singular class of elderly ladies
whose chief delight consists in match-making. Many and many a couple
had she brought together in her time, and she lived in the pleasing
hope of seeing many more united. It was a remarkable fact, however,
that in nearly every instance where her kind offices had been
interposed, the result had not been the very happiest in the world.
This fact, however, never seemed to strike her. The one great end of
her life was to get people together--to pair them off. Whether they
jogged on harmoniously together, or pulled separate ways, was no
concern of hers. Her business was to make the matches. As to living
in harmony, or the opposite, that concerned the couples themselves,
and to that they must look themselves. It was enough for her to make
the matches, without being obliged to accord the dispositions.

As in every thing else, practice makes perfect, so in this
occupation, practice gave to Mrs. Martindale great skill in
discerning character--at least, of such character as she could
operate on. And she could, moreover, tell the progressive states of
mind of those upon whom she exercised her kind offices, almost as
truly as if she heard them expressed in words. It was, therefore,
clear to her, after her first essay, that Mary Lester's affections
might very easily be brought out and made to linger about the young
man whom she had, in her wisdom, chosen as her husband. As Mary was
a very sweet girl, and, moreover, had a father well to do in the
world, she had no fears about interesting Mr. Fenwick in her favour.

Only a few days passed before Mrs. Martindale managed to throw
herself into the company of the young man.

"How were you pleased with the party, Mr. Fenwick?" she began.

"At Mrs. Allenson's?"

"Yes."

"Very much."

"So I thought."

"Did I seem, then, particularly pleased?"

"I thought so."

"Indeed! Well, I can't say that I was interested a great deal more
than I usually am on such occasions."

"Not a _great deal_ more?"

"No, I certainly was not."

"But a _little_ more?"

"Perhaps I was; but I cannot be positive."

"Oh yes. I know it. And I'm of the opinion that you were not the
only person there who was interested a _little more_ than usual."

"Ah, indeed! A