Ravenshoe. By Henry Kingsley.

.366 RAVENSHOE.
Lord Saltire moved up beside Lady Ascot. Lady Hainault
had the three children, - Archy in her lap, and Gus and Flora
beside her. In her high and mighty way, she was amusing them,
or rather trying to do so. Lady Hainault was one of the best
and noblest women in the world, as you have seen already; but
she was not an amusing person. And no one knew it better than
herself. Her intentions were excellent: she wanted to leave
Mary free from the children until their bed-time, so that she
might talk to her old acquaintance, John Marston; for, at the
children's bed-time, Mary would have to go with them. Even
Lady Hainault, determined as she was, never dared to contemplate putting those children to bed without Mary's assistance.
She was trying to tell them a story out of her own head, but was
making a dreadful mess of it; and she was quite conscious that
Gus and Flora were listening to her with contemptuous pity.
So they were disposed. Lord Saltire and Lady Ascot were
comfortably out of hearing. We had better attend to them first,
and come round to the others afterwards.
Lady Ascot began. "James," she said, "it is perfectly evident to me that you sent for John Marston."
"Well, and suppose I did? " said Lord Saltire.
" Well, then, why did you do so?"
"Maria," said Lord Saltire, "do you know that sometimes
you are intolerably foolish? Cannot you answer that question
for yourself?"
" Of course I can," said Lady Ascot.
" Then why the deuce did you ask me?"
That was a hard question to answer, but Lady Ascot said, -
" I doubt if you are wise, James. I believe it would be better
that she should go to Australia. It is a very good match for
her."
"It is not a good match for her," said Lord Saltire, testily.
" To begin with, first cousin marriages are an invention of the
Devil. Third and lastly, she sha'n't go to that infernal hole.
Sixthly, I want her, now our Charles is dead, to marry John
Marston; and, in conclusion, I mean to have my own way."
"Do you know," said Lady Ascot, " that he proposed to her
before, and was rejected?"
" He told me of it the same night," said Lord Saltire. " Now,
don't talk any more nonsense, but tell me this, is she bitten with
that young fellow?"
"Not deeply, as yet, I think," said Lady Ascot.
"Which of them has the best chance? " said Lord Saltire.
"James," said Lady Ascot, repeating his own words, " do you
kn9w that sometimes you are intolerably foolish. How can I
tell?"