Doctor Thorne

ctor's

s as young gentlemen are. Now Frank Gresham was handsome, amiable, by no means a fool in intellect, excellent in heart; and he was, moreover, a gentleman, being the son of Mr Gresham of Greshamsbury. Mary had been, as it were

very boyishness of his manner, from thinking at all seriously on the subject. His "will you, won't you-do you, don't you?" does not sound like the poetic raptures of a highly inspired lover. But, nevertheles

nor heard; but the absolute words and acts of one such scene did once come to the author's knowledge. The couple were by no means plebeian, or below the proper standard of high bearing and high breeding; they were a handsome pair, living among educa

ong and short of it is this: here

so as to allow a little salt water to run out of one ho

nonsense at all: come, Jane; here I am:

suppose I can

hich is it to be; t

te, carrying on, at the same time, her engineering works o

entleman would have thought, had they ever thought about the matter at all, that this, the sweetest

possession of such a love, had the true possession been justly and honestly within her reach? What man could be more lovable than such a man as would grow from such a boy? And then, did she not love him,-love him already, without waiting for any change? Did

ed in it, and would change his mind about woman half a score of times before he married. Then, too, though she did not like the Lady Arabella, she felt that she owed something, if not to her kindness, at least to her f

uld ever become Mrs Gresham because Frank had offered to make her so; but, nevertheless, she could no

ed by her birth to be the wife of such a one as Frank Gresham. They were in the habit of walking there together when he happened to be at home of a summer's evening. This was not often the case, for his hours of labour

ile, "what do you think of th

for her-"I can't say I have thought much about

it, of course; and s

uld never get married if they had to tr

why you never go

ng of it too much. One

ear her point as yet; so she had to dr

thinking about it,

uble; and perhaps save Miss Gresham too. If you hav

Moffat is a ma

point, no doubt, whe

; and what is worse, a

er. What is Mr Moffat's family to you and me? Mr Moffat has t

nd a rich man I suppose can buy anythin

fat has bought Miss Gresham. I have no doubt that they will suit each other very wel

," said she, "you know you are pretending to a great deal of wor

m

r the impropriety of discuss

say it wa

ssed. How is one to have an opinion if one does not ge

to be blown up,"

do be serio

hope Miss Gresham will be

it as much as I can hope what I don

ly hope without

l hope in this c

, my

, truly and really.

give any opinion founded o

you were a m

is quite as much

erhaps I may marry;-or at any r

ative is certainly

not but speculate on the matter as though I were myself

you are not

ferent thing, I know. I suppose I might

sounds seemed to bear. She had failed in being able to bring her uncle to the point she wished by t

she should say so. But, Mary, to tell the truth, I hardly know at what you are driving.

looking up into his face, she turned her e

is it?" and he took

on such matters, one cannot but apply it to things and people around one; and having applied my opinion to her, the next step naturally is to apply it to myself. W

the doctor moved on again, and she moved with him. He walked on slowly without an

herself, she ought also to feel that she would not lower a man that she might l

. "A man raises a woman to his own standard, bu

ds. She was determined, however, to come to the point, and after considering for a while how bes

ood a family as the G

rom that in which they are spoken of by the world at large, I may say that the Thornes are as good, or perhaps better, than the Gr

re of the s

athorne, and our friend the squi

ugusta Gresham-are w

me boast that I am the same class wit

u not know that you are not answering me fairly? You know what I m

ing his arm to hang loose, that she might hold it with both her

spared it to you

uld have done so; I

r now; I would, I would, I would if that were possible. What should I be but for you? What must I have been but for you

at she did know. Little as she had heard of her relatives in her early youth, few as had been the words which had fallen from her uncle in her hearing as to her parentage, she did know this, that she was the daughter of Henry Thorne, a brother of the doctor, and a son of the old prebendary. Trifling little things that had occurred, accidents which could not be prevented, had told her this; but not a word had

. She had not been there long before her uncle came up to her. He did not sit down, or even ta

was unfortunate in much, not in everything; but the world, which is very often stern in such matters, never judged her to have disgraced hersel

that not only could she not speak of her mother, but that she might hardly think of her with innocence; and to mitigate such sorrow a

was not willing so to do this as to bring himself in any manner into familiar contact with the Scatcherds. He had boasted to himself that he, at any rate, was a gentleman; and that she, if she were to live in his house, sit at his table, and share his hearth, must be a lady. He would tell no lie about her; he would not to any one make her out to be aught other or aught better than she was; people would talk about her of course, only let them

spread, had faded down into utter ignorance. At the end of these twelve years, Dr Thorne had announced, that a young niece, a child of a brother long since dead, was coming to live with him. As he had contemplated, no one spoke to him; but some people did no doubt talk among themselves. Whether or not the exact truth was surmised by any, it m

ld you," said the doctor, "partly that you may know that the child has no right to mix with your children if

children as though she were of the same brood. Indeed, the squire had always been fond of Mary, had personally noticed her, and, in the affai

king; till now, when she was one-and-twenty years of age, his niece came to him, askin

l, he had been wrong about his niece? What if by endeavouring to place her in the position of a lady, he had falsely so placed h

profession an income sufficient for their joint wants; but he had not done as others do: he had no three or four thousand pounds in the Three per Cents. on which Mary might live in some comfort when he should die. Late in life he had insured his life for eight hundred pounds; and to that, and that

ye, his one great sovereign comfort-his pride, his happiness, his glory? Was he to make her over, to make any portion of her over to others, if, by doing so, she might be able to share the wealth, as well as the coarse manners and uncouth society of her at present un

r him who had a fixed standing-ground in the world; it might be well for him to indulge in large views of a philosophy antagonistic to the world's practice; but had he a right to do it for his niece? What man would marry a girl so placed? For those am

rst time, that she did not know where to rank herself? If such an appeal had been made to her, it must have come from young Frank Gresham. What, in such case, would it behove him to do? Should he pack up his all, his lancet-cases, pestl

d forwards through his garden, medit