pleased to state. But it
seems strange that your lordship should have permitted years to glide
away, without so much as enquiring after the young lady, who, I believe,
is the only person qualified as your grand-uncle's will requires, with
whom you can form an alliance. It appears to me, that long before now,
this matter ought to have been investigated; and that, even now, it
would have been more natural and more decorous to have at least seen my
sister before proposing for her hand."

"On the first point, my dear Mowbray," said Lord Etherington, "I am free
to own to you, that, without meaning your sister the least affront, I
would have got rid of this clause if I could; for every man would fain
choose a wife for himself, and I feel no hurry to marry at all. But the
rogue-lawyers, after taking fees, and keeping me in hand for years, have
at length roundly told me the clause must be complied with, or
Nettlewood must have another master. So I thought it best to come down
here in person, in order to address the fair lady; but as accident has
hitherto prevented my seeing her, and as I found in her brother a man
who understands the world, I hope you will not think the worse of me,
that I have endeavoured in the outset to make you my friend. Truth is, I
shall be twenty-five in the course of a month; and without your favour,
and the opportunities which only you can afford me, that seems a short
time to woo and win a lady of Miss Mowbray's merit."

"And what is the alternative if you do not form this proposed alliance,
my lord?" said Mowbray.

"The bequest of my grand-uncle lapses," said the Earl, "and fair
Nettlewood, with its old house, and older oaks, manorial rights, Hodge
Trampclod, and all, devolves on a certain cousin-german of mine, whom
Heaven of his mercy confound!"

"You have left yourself little time to prevent such an event, my lord,"
said Mowbray; "but things being as I now see them, you shall have what
interest I can give you in the affair.--We must stand, however, on more
equal terms, my lord--I will condescend so far as to allow it would have
been inconvenient for me at this moment to have lost that game, but I
cannot in the circumstances think of acting as if I had fairly won it.
We must draw stakes, my lord."

"Not a word of that, if you really mean me kindly, my dear Mowbray. The
blunder was a real one, for I was indeed thinking, as you may suppose,
on other things than the showing my point--All was fair