He, however, did as John Morton had
done before, and endeavoured to persuade the poor fellow that he
should not alter the whole tenor of his life because a young lady
would not look at him.
"Good night, Mr. Runciman," said Larry as he made his way
down-stairs to the yard. "We've had an uncommon pleasant evening."
"I'm glad you've enjoyed yourself, Larry." Larry thought that his
Christian name from the hotel keeper's lips had never sounded so
offensively as on the present occasion.
CHAPTER XXII
Miss Trefoil's Decision
Lord Rufford's letter reached Arabella at her cousin's house, in
due course, and was handed to her in the morning as she came down
to breakfast. The envelope bore his crest and coronet, and she was
sure that more than one pair of eyes had already seen it. Her
mother had been in the room some time before her, and would of
course know that the letter was from Lord Rufford. An indiscreet
word or two had been said in the hearing of Mrs. Connop Green,--as
to which Arabella had already scolded her mother most vehemently,
and Mrs. Connop Green too would probably have seen the letter, and
would know that it had come from the lover of whom boasts had been
made. The Connop Greens would be ready to worship Arabella down to
the very soles of her feet if she were certainly,--without a
vestige of doubt,--engaged to be the wife of Lord Rufford.
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