' To Miss Boncassen she had written a long letter, but that
too had been written very easily. 'I write to you instead of your
mamma because I know you. You must tell her that, and then she
will not be angry. I am only papa's messenger, and I am to say how
much he hopes that you will come on the twentieth. Mr Boncassen is
to bring the whole British Museum if he wishes.' Then there was a
little postscript which showed that there was already considerable
intimacy between the two young ladies: 'We won't have either Mr L
or Lord P.' Not a word was said about Lord Silverbridge. There
was not even an initial to indicate his name.
But the letter to her brother was more difficult. In her epistles
to those others she had so framed her words as if possible to
bring them to Matching. But in writing to her brother, she was
anxious to write as to deter him from coming. She was bound to
obey her father's commands. He had desired that Silverbridge
should be asked to come,--and he was asked to come. But she
craftily endeavoured to word the invitation that he should be
induced to remain away.
Pages:
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691