He was now told that his daughter
must be sent out among young men in order that she might become
sufficiently fond of some special one to be regardless of Tregear.
There was a feeling that in doing so she must lose something of
the freshness of the bloom of her innocence. How was this transfer
of her love to be effected? Let her go here because she will meet
the heir of this wealthy house who may probably be smitten by her
charms; or there because that other young lordling would make a
fit husband for her. Let us contrive to throw her into the arms of
this man, or put her into the way of that man. Was his girl to be
exposed to this? Surely that method of bargaining to which he had
owed his own wife would be better than that. Let it be said,--only
he himself most certainly could not be the person to say it,--let
it be said to some man of rank and means and fairly good
character, 'Here is a wife for you with so many thousand pounds,
with beauty, as you can see for yourself, with rank and belongings
of the highest; very good in every respect;--only that as regards
her heart she thinks she has given it to a young man named
Tregear.
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