第156章

And how foolish would it be for a man like himself, with a good fortune of his own, to marry any girl who had not a sixpence!

The Captain was led into this vain thought by the great civility displayed to him by the ladies of the house. With Lucy, whom he knew to be Ayala's sister, he had not prospered very well.

It came to his ears that she was out of favour with her aunt, and he therefore meddled with her but little. The Tringle ladies, however, were very kind to him -- so kind that he was tempted to think less than ever of one who had been so little courteous to him as Ayala. Mrs Traffick was of course a married woman, and it amounted to nothing. But Gertrude -- ! All the world knew that Septimus Traffick without a shilling of his own had become the happy possessor of a very large sum of money. He, Batsby, had more to recommend him than Traffick! Why should not he also become a happy possessor? He went away for a week's hunting into Northamptonshire, and then, at Lady Tringle's request, came back to Merle Park.

At this time Miss Tringle had quite recovered her health. She had dropped all immediate speech as to Mr Houston. Had she not been provoked, she would have allowed all that to drop into oblivion.

But a married sister may take liberties. "You are well rid of him, I think," said Augusta. Gertrude heaved a deep sigh. She did not wish to acknowledge herself to be rid of him until another string were well fitted to her bow. "After all, a man with nothing to do in the world, with no profession, no occupation, with no money -- ""Mr Traffick had not got very much money of his own.""He has a seat in Parliament, which is very much more than fortune, and will undoubtedly be in power when his party comes in. And he is a man of birth. But Frank Houston had nothing to recommend him.""Birth!" said Gertrude, turning up her nose.

"The Queen, who is the fountain of honour, made his father a nobleman, and that constitutes birth." This the married sister said with stern severity of manner, and perfect reliance on the constitutional privileges of her Sovereign.

"I don't know that we need talk about it," said Gertrude.

"Not at all. Mr Houston has behaved very badly, and I suppose there is an end of him as far as this house is concerned. Captain Batsby seems to me to be a very nice young man, and I suppose he has got money. A man should certainly have got money -- or an occupation.""He has got both," said Gertrude, which, however, was not true, as Captain Batsby had left the service.

"Have you forgotten my cousin so soon?" Gertrude asked one day, as she was walking with the happy Captain in the park. The Captain, no doubt, had been saying soft things to her.

"Do you throw that in my teeth as an offence?""Inconstancy in men is generally considered as an offence," said Gertrude. What it might be in women she did not just then declare.

"After all I have heard of your cousin since I have been here, I should hardly have thought that it would be reckoned so in this case.""You have heard nothing against her from me.""I am told that she has treated your brother very badly.""Poor Tom!"

"And that she is flirting with a man I particularly dislike.""I suppose she does make herself rather peculiar with that Colonel Stubbs.""And, after all, only think how little I saw of her! She is pretty.""So some people think. I never saw it myself," said Gertrude.