Tales and Novels Volume VII Part 31

Gresham, but that she had felt a preference for him which she had never before shown for any other person; and they thought that, perhaps, some refinement of delicacy about accepting his large fortune, or some fear that his want of high birth, and what are called good connexions, would be objected to by her father and mother, might be the cause of this refusal. Mrs. Percy felt extremely anxious to explain her own sentiments, and fully to understand Rosamond's feelings. In this anxiety Caroline joined most earnestly; all the kindness, sympathy, and ardent affection, which Rosamond had ever shown for her, when the interests of her heart were in question, were strong in Caroline's recollection, and these were now fully returned. Caroline thought Mr. Gresham was too old for her sister; but she considered that this objection, and all others, should yield to Rosamond's own opinion and taste. She agreed with her mother in imagining that Rosamond was not quite indifferent to his merit and to his attachment.

Mrs. Percy began by a.s.suring Rosamond that she should be left entirely at liberty to decide according to her own judgment and feelings. "You have seen, my dear, how your father and I have acted towards your sister; and you may be sure that we shall show you equal justice. Though parents are accused of always rating 'a good estate above a faithful lover,' yet you will recollect that Mr. Barclay's good estate did not induce us to press his suit with Caroline. Mr. Gresham has a large fortune; and, to speak in Lady Jane Granville's style, it must be acknowledged, my dear Rosamond, that this would be a most advantageous match; but for this very reason we are particularly desirous that you should determine for yourself: at the same time, let me tell you, that I am a little surprised by the promptness of your decision. Let me be sure that this negative is serious--let me be sure that I rightly understand you, my love: now, when only your own Caroline is present, tell me what are your objections to Mr. Gresham?"

Thanks for her mother's kindness; thanks repeated, with tears in her eyes, were, for a considerable time, all the answer that could be obtained from Rosamond. At length she said, "Without having any particular objection to a person, surely, if I cannot love him, that is sufficient reason for my not wis.h.i.+ng to marry him."

Rosamond spoke these words in so feeble a tone, and with so much hesitation, colouring at the same time so much, that her mother and sister were still uncertain how they were to understand her _if_--and Mrs. Percy replied, "Undoubtedly, my dear, _if_ you cannot love him; but that is the question. Is it quite certain that you cannot?"

"Oh! quite certain--I believe."

"This certainty seems to have come very suddenly," said her mother, smiling.

"What can you mean, mother?"

"I mean that you did not show any decided dislike to him, till within these few hours, my dear."

"Dislike! I don't feel--I hope I don't show any dislike--lam sure I should be very ungrateful. On the contrary, it would be impossible for any body, who is good for any thing, to _dislike_ Mr. Gresham."

"Then you can neither like him nor dislike him?--You are in a state of absolute indifference."

"That is, except grat.i.tude--grat.i.tude for all his kindness to Erasmus, and for his partiality to me--grat.i.tude I certainly feel."

"And esteem?"

"Yes; to be sure, esteem."

"And I think," continued her mother, "that before he committed this crime of proposing for you, Rosamond, you used to show some of the indignation of a good friend against those ungrateful people who used him so ill.

"Indignation! Yes," interrupted Rosamond, "who could avoid feeling indignation?"

"And pity?--I think I have heard you express pity for poor Mr. Gresham."

"Well, ma'am, because he really was very much to be pitied--don't you think so?"

"I do--and pity--" said Mrs. Percy, smiling.

"No, indeed, mother, you need not smile--nor you, Caroline; for the sort of pity which I feel is not--it was merely pity by itself, plain pity: why should people imagine and insist upon it, that more is felt than expressed?"

"My dear," said Mrs. Percy, "I do not insist upon your feeling more than you really do; but let us see--you are in a state of absolute indifference, and yet you feel esteem, indignation, pity--how is this, Rosamond? How can this be?"

"Very easily, ma'am, because by absolute indifference, I mean--Oh! you know very well what I mean--absolute indifference as to--"

"Love, perhaps, is the word which you cannot p.r.o.nounce this morning."

"Now, mother! Now, Caroline! You fancy that I love him. But, supposing there were any _if_ in the case on my side, tell me only _why_ I should refuse him?"

"Nay, my dear, that is what we wait to hear from you," said Mrs. Percy.

"Then I will tell you why," said Rosamond: "in the first place, Mr.

Gresham has a large fortune, and I have none. And I have the greatest horror of the idea of marrying for money, or of the possibility of its being suspected that I might do so."

"I thought that was the fear!" cried Caroline: "but, my dear Rosamond, with your generous mind, you know it is quite impossible that you should marry from interested motives."

"Absolutely impossible," said her mother. "And when you are sure of your own mind, it would be weakness, my dear, to dread the suspicions of others, even if such were likely to be formed."

"Oh! do not, my dearest Rosamond," said Caroline, taking her sister's hand, pressing it between hers, and speaking in the most urgent, almost supplicating tone, "do not, generous as you are, sacrifice your happiness to mistaken delicacy!"

"But," said Rosamond, after a moment's silence, "but you attribute more than I deserve to my delicacy and generosity: I ought not to let you think me so much better than I really am. I had some other motives: you will think them very foolish--very ridiculous--perhaps wrong; but you are so kind and indulgent to me, mother, that I will tell you all my follies. I do not like to marry a man who is not a hero--you are very good not to laugh, Caroline."

"Indeed, I am too seriously interested at present to laugh," said Caroline.

"And you must be sensible," continued Rosamond, "that I could not, by any effort of imagination, or by any illusion of love, convert a man of Mr. Gresham's time of life and appearance, with his wig, and sober kind of understanding, into a hero."

"As to the wig," replied Mrs. Percy, "you will recollect that both Sir Charles Grandison and Lovelace wore wigs; but, my dear, granting that a man cannot, in these days, be a hero in a wig, and granting that a hero cannot or should not have a sober understanding, will you give me leave to ask, whether you have positively determined that none but heroes and heroines should live, or love, or marry, or be happy in this mortal world?"

"Heaven forbid!" said Rosamond, "particularly as I am not a heroine."

"And as only a few hundred millions of people in the world are in the same condition," added Mrs. Percy.

"And those perhaps, not the least happy of human beings," said Caroline.

"Be that as it may, I think it cannot be denied that Mr. Gresham has, in a high degree, one of the qualities which ought to distinguish a hero."

"What?" said Rosamond, eagerly.

"Generosity," replied Caroline; "and his large fortune puts it in his power to show that quality upon a scale more extended than is usually allowed even to the heroes of romance."

"True--very true," said Rosamond, smiling: "generosity might make a hero of him if he were not a merchant--a merchant!--a Percy ought not to marry a merchant."

"Perhaps, my dear," said Mrs. Percy, "you don't know that half, at least, of all the n.o.bility in England have married into the families of merchants; therefore, in the opinion of half the n.o.bility of England, there can be nothing discreditable or derogatory in such an alliance."

"I know, ma'am, such things are; but then you will allow they are usually done for money, and that makes the matter worse. If the sons of n.o.ble families marry the daughters of mercantile houses, it is merely to repair the family fortune. But a n.o.bleman has great privileges. If he marry beneath himself, his low wife is immediately raised by her wedding-ring to an equality with the high and mighty husband--her name is forgotten in her t.i.tle--her vulgar relations are left in convenient obscurity: the husband never thinks of taking notice of them; and the wife, of course, may let it alone if she pleases. But a woman, in our rank of life, must bear her husband's name, and must also bear all his relations, be they ever so vulgar. Now, Caroline, honestly--how should you like this?"

"Honestly, not at all," said Caroline; "but as we cannot have every thing we like, or avoid every thing we dislike, in life, we must balance the good against the evil, when we are to make our choice: and if I found certain amiable, estimable qualities in a character, I think that I might esteem, love, and marry him, even though he had a vulgar name and vulgar connexions. I fairly acknowledge, however, that it must be something superior in the man's character which could balance the objection to vulgarity in my mind."

"Very well, my dear," said Rosamond, "do you be a martyr to vulgarity and philosophy, if you like it--but excuse me, if you please. Since you, who have so much strength of mind, fairly acknowledge that this objection is barely to be overcome by your utmost efforts, do me the favour, do me the justice, not to expect from me a degree of civil courage quite above my powers."

Caroline, still believing that Rosamond was only bringing forward all the objections that might be raised against her wishes, replied, "Fortunately, my dear Rosamond, you are not called upon for any such effort of philosophy, for Mr. Gresham is not vulgar, nor is even his name vulgar, and he cannot have any vulgar relations, because he has no relations of any description--I heard him say, the other day, that he was a solitary being."

"That is a comfort," said Rosamond, laughing; "that is a great thing in his favour; but if he has not relations, he has connexions. What do you think of those horrible Pantons? This instant I think I see old Panton cooling himself--wig pushed back--waistcoat unb.u.t.toned--and protuberant Mrs. Panton with her bay wig and artificial flowers. And not the Pantons only, but you may be sure there are hordes of St. Mary Axe c.o.c.kneys, that would pour forth upon _Mrs. Gresham_, with overwhelming force, and with partners.h.i.+p and old-acquaintance-sake claims upon her public notice and private intimacy. Come, come, my dear Caroline, don't speak against your conscience--you know you never could withstand the hordes of _vulgarians_."

"These vulgarians in buckram," said Caroline, "have grown from two to two hundred in a trice, in your imagination, Rosamond: but consider that old Panton, against whom you have such an invincible horror, will, now that he has quarrelled with Erasmus, probably very soon eat himself out of the world; and I don't see that you are bound to Mr. Gresham's dead partner's widow--is this your only objection to Mr. Gresham?"

"My only objection! Oh, no! don't flatter yourself that in killing old Panton you have struck off all my objections. Independently of vulgar relations or connexions, and the disparity of age, my grand objection remains. But I will address myself to my mother, for you are not a good person for judging of prejudices--you really don't understand them, my dear Caroline; one might as well talk to Socrates. You go to work with logic, and get one between the horns of a wicked dilemma directly--I will talk to my mother; she understands prejudices."

"Your mother thanks you," said Mrs. Percy, smiling, "for your opinion of her understanding."

"My mother is the most indulgent of mothers, and, besides, the most candid, and therefore I know she will confess to me that she herself cherishes a little darling prejudice in favour of birth and family, a _leetle_ prejudice--well covered by good-nature and politeness--but still a secret, invincible antipathy to low-born people."

"To low-bred people, I grant."