Free Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope Page B

you. I don’t know that I meant any one. You shouldn’t mind what an old woman like me says.’
    ‘You’re a little melancholy because you’re going away.’
    ‘No, indeed. I don’t know why I stayed the last week. I did say to Lady Midlothian that I thought I should go on the 20th; and, though I know that she knew that I really didn’t go, she has not once sent to me since. To be sure they’vebeen out every night; but I thought she might have asked me to come and lunch. It’s so very lonely dining by myself in lodgings in London.’
    ‘And yet you never will come and dine with me.’
    ‘No, my dear; no. But we won’t talk about that I’ve just one word more to say. Let me see. I’ve just six minutes to stay. I’ve made up my mind that I’ll never come up to town again, – except for one thing.’
    ‘And what’s that, aunt?’ Alice, as she asked the question, well knew what that one thing was.
    ‘I’ll come for your marriage, my dear. I do hope you will not keep me long waiting.’
    ‘Ah! I can’t make any promise. There’s no knowing when that may be.’
    ‘And why should there be no knowing? I always think that when a girl is once engaged the sooner she’s married the better. There may be reasons fordelay on the gentleman’s part’
    ‘There very often are, you know.’
    ‘But, Alice, you don’t mean to say that Mr Grey is putting it off?’
    Alice was silent for a moment, during which Lady Macleod’s face assumed a look of almost tragic horror. Was there something wrong on Mr Grey’s side of which she was altogether unaware? Alice, though for a second or two she had been guilty of a slight playful deceit,was too honest to allow the impression to remain. ‘No, aunt’ she said; ‘Mr Grey is not putting it off. It has been left to me to fix the tune.’
    ‘And why don’t you fix it?’
    ‘It is such a serious thing! After all it is not more than four months yet since I – I accepted him. I don’t know that there has been any delay.’
    ‘But you might fix the time now, if he wishes it’
    ‘Well, perhaps I shall,– some day, aunt. I’m going to think about it, and you mustn’t drive me.’
    ‘But you should have some one to advise you, Alice.’
    ‘Ah! that’s just it People always do seem to think it so terrible that a girl should have her own way in anything. She mustn’t like any one at first; and then, when she does like some one, she must marry him directly she’s bidden. I haven’t much of my own way at present;but you see, when I’m married I shan’t have it at all. You can’t wonder that I shouldn’t be in a hurry.’
    ‘I am not advocating anything like hurry, my dear. But, goodness gracious me! I’ve been here twenty-eight minutes, and that horrid man will impose upon me. Good-bye? God bless you! Mind you write.’ And Lady Macleod hurried out of the room more intent at the present moment upon saving her sixpencethan she was on any other matter whatsoever.
    And then John Grey came up to town, arriving a day or two after the time that he had fixed. It is not, perhaps, improbable that Alice had used some diplomatic skill in preventing a meeting between Lady Macleod and her lover. They both were very anxious to obtain the same object, and Alice was to some extent opposed to their views. Had Lady Macleodand John Grey put their forces together she might have found herself unable to resist their joint endeavours. She was resolved that she would not at any rate name any day for her marriage before her return from Switzerland; and she may therefore have thought it wise to keep Mr Grey in thecountry till after Lady Macleod had gone, even though she thereby cut down the time of his sojourn in Londonto four days. On the occasion of that visit Mr Vavasor did a very memorable thing. He dined at home with the view of welcoming his future son-in-law. He dined at home, and asked, or rather assented to Alice’s asking, George and Kate Vavasor to join the dinner-party.