but her late agitation had made her absent minded i came back by you know said mr not as if any intention to arrest her departure but apparently from his tendency to say what he had said before this of human speech was exhibited in mr i there and saw s library and that kind of thing there s a sharp air wont you sit down my dear you cold felt quite inclined to accept the invitation sometimes then her uncle s easy way of taking things did not happen to be it y as rather she threw off her mantle and and sat down opposite to him enjoying the glow but lifting up her hands for a screen they were not hands or hands but powerful feminine maternal hands she seemed to be holding them in for her passionate desire to r know aad to think which in the of and had issued in ending and red eyelids she herself now of the condemned criminal what have you brought about the sheep what poor � well it seems we can t get him off � he is to be hanged s brow took an expression of and pity hanged you know said mr with a quiet nod poor he would have helped us i knew t know he is a little buried in books you know is when a man has great studies and is writing a great work he n t of course give up seeing much of the world how can he go about acquaintances v s true but a man you know i have always been i too but i have that sort of disposition that i never x was my way to go about everywhere and take in everything i but i can see that does you he a � a companion you know it would be a great honour to any one to be his companion said you like him said mr without showing any surprise or other emotion well now i ve known ten years ever since he came to but i never got anything out cf him � any ideas you know however he is a man and be a that kind of thing you know if feel stays in and he has a very high opinion of you my dear could not speak the ct is he has a high opinion indeed of you and he peaks uncommonly does he has deferred to me you not being of age in short i have promised to speak to you � j though i told him i thought there was not much chance i was bound to tell him that i said my niece is very young and that kind of thing but i didn t think it necessary to go into everything however the long and the short of it is that he has asked my permission to make you an offer of of marriage you know said mr with his nod i thou t it better to tell you my dear no one could have detected any anxiety in mr s but he did really wish to know something of his niece s mind that if there were any need for advice he might give it in time what feeling he as a magistrate who had taken in so many ideas could make room for was kind since did not speak immediately he repeated i thought it better to tell you my dear thank you uncle said in a clear tone i am very to mr if he makes me an offer i shall accept him i admire and honour him more than any man i ever saw mr paused a little and then said in a lingering low tone ah well he is a good match in some respects but now is a ood match and our land lies together i shall never interfere against your wishes my dear e should have their own way in marriage and that sort of thing � up to a certain point you know i have always said that up to a certain point i wish you to marry well and i have good reason to believe that wishes to marry you i mention it you know it is impossible that i should ever marry sir james said if he thinks of marrying me he has made a great mistake that is it you see one never knows i should have thought was just the sort of man a woman would like now pray do not mention him in that light again uncle said ng some of her late irritation revive mr wondered and felt that women were an inexhaustible subject of since even he at his age was not in a perfect state of scientific about them here was a fellow like with no chance at all well but now there is no hurry � i mean for you true every year will tell upon him he is over five and forty you know i should say a good seven and twenty years older than you to be sure � if you like learning and and that sort of thing we can t have everything ana his income is good � he has a handsome property independent of the church � his is still he is not young ana i must not conceal from you my dear mat i think his is ot over strong i know nothing el i t him i should not wish to have a husband very near mv own age said with grave decision i should wish to a who was above me in judgment and in all knowledge mr repeated his subdued ah � i thought you had more book l � miss f own opinion than most girls i thought you liked your own opinion � liked it you know i cannot imagine myself without some opinions but i should to have good reasons lor them 