y dear Lord George,

"My daughter is gratified by your affection, and flattered by your
manner of showing it. A few plain words are perhaps the best. She
will be happy to receive you as her future husband, whenever it
may suit you to come to the deanery.

"Yours affectionately,

"HENRY LOVELACE."

Immediately upon this the conduct of Lord George was unexceptionable.
He hurried over to Brotherton, and as he clasped his girl in his arms,
he told her that he was the happiest man in England. Poor as he was he
made her a handsome present, and besought her if she had any mercy, any
charity, any love for him, to name an early day. Then came the four
ladies from Manor Cross,--for Lady Alice had already become Lady Alice
Holdenough,--and caressed her, and patted her, and petted her, and told
her that she should be as welcome as flowers in May. Her father, too,
congratulated her with more of enthusiasm, and more also of
demonstrated feeling than she had ever before seen him evince. He had
been very unwilling, he said, to express any strong opinion of his own.
It had always been his desire that his girl should please herself. But
now that the thing was settled he could assure her of his thorough
satisfaction. It was all that he could have desired; and now he would
be ready at any time to lay himself down, and be at rest. Had his girl
married a spendthrift lord, even a duke devoted to pleasure and
iniquity, it would have broken his heart. But he would now confess that
the aristocracy of the county had charms for him; and he was not
ashamed to rejoice that his child should be accepted within their pale.
Then he brushed a real tear from his eyes, and Mary threw herself into
his arms. The tear was real, and in all that he said there was not an
insincere word. It was to him a very glory of glories that his child
should be in the way of becoming the Marchioness of Brotherton. It was
even a great glory that she should be Lady George Germain. The Dean
never forgot the livery stable, and owned day and night that God had
been very good to him.

It was soon settled that Mary was to be allowed three months for
preparation, and that the marriage was to be solemnized in June. Of
course she had much to do in preparing her wedding garments, but she
had before her a much more difficult task than that at which she worked
most sedulously. It was now the great business of her life to fall in
love with Lord George.