"Rachel, my dear," he said, "I have heard some very extraordinary news
from Godfrey. And I am here to inquire about it. You have a sitting-room
of your own in this house. Will you honour me by showing me the way to
it?"
Rachel never moved. Whether she was determined to bring matters to a
crisis, or whether she was prompted by some private sign from Mr. Bruff,
is more than I can tell. She declined doing old Mr. Ablewhite the honour
of conducting him into her sitting-room.
"Whatever you wish to say to me," she answered, "can be said here--in
the presence of my relatives, and in the presence" (she looked at Mr.
Bruff) "of my mother's trusted old friend."
"Just as you please, my dear," said the amiable Mr. Ablewhite. He took
a chair. The rest of them looked at his face--as if they expected it,
after seventy years of worldly training, to speak the truth. I looked
at the top of his bald head; having noticed on other occasions that the
temper which was really in him had a habit of registering itself THERE.
"Some weeks ago," pursued the old gentleman, "my son informed me that
Miss Verinder had done him the honour to engage herself to marry him.
Is it possible, Rachel, that he can have misinterpreted--or presumed
upon--what you really said to him?"
"Certainly not," she replied. "I did engage myself to marry him."
"Very frankly answered!" said Mr. Ablewhite. "And most satisfactory, my
dear, so far. In respect to what happened some weeks since, Godfrey has
made no mistake. The error is evidently in what he told me yesterday.
I begin to see it now. You and he have had a lovers' quarrel--and my
foolish son has interpreted it seriously. Ah! I should have known better
than that at his age."
The fallen nature in Rachel--the mother Eve, so to speak--began to chafe
at this.
"Pray let us understand each other, Mr. Ablewhite," she said. "Nothing
in the least like a quarrel took place yesterday between your son and
me. If he told you that I proposed breaking off our marriage engagement,
and that he agreed on his side--he told you the truth."
The self-registering thermometer at the top of Mr. Ablewhite's bald
head began to indicate a rise of temper. His face was more amiable than
ever--but THERE was the pink at the top of his face, a shade deeper
already!
"Come, come, my dear!" he said, in his most soothing manner, "now don't
be angry, and don't be hard on poor Godfrey! He has evidently said some
unfortunate thing. He was always clumsy from a child--but he means well,
Rachel, he means well!"
"Mr. Ablewhite, I have either expressed myself very badly, or you are
purposely mistaking me. Once for all, it is a settled thing between your
son and myself that we remain, for the rest of our lives, cousins and
nothing more. Is that plain enough?"