Giant’s Bread · Book II · V · Chapter 2 5 3

III

Mrs. Vereker was a clever woman. She was taken by surprise but she did not show it, and she adopted a different line from any that Vernon had pictured her taking. She was faintly derisively amused.

“So you children think you are in love with one another? Well, well!”

She listened to Vernon with such an expression of kindly irony that despite himself his tongue flustered and tripped.

She gave a faint sigh as he subsided into silence.

“What it is to be young! I feel quite envious. Now, my dear boy, just listen to me. I’m not going to forbid the banns or do anything melodramatic. If Nell really wants to marry you she shall. I don’t say I won’t be very disappointed if she does. She’s my only child. I naturally hope that she will marry someone who can give her the best of everything, and surround her with every luxury and comfort. That, I think, is only natural.”

Vernon was forced to agree. Mrs. Vereker’s reasonableness was extremely disconcerting, being so unexpected.

“But as I say, I’m not going to forbid the banns. What I do stipulate is that Nell should be thoroughly sure that she really knows her own mind. You agree to that, I’m sure?”

Vernon agreed to that with an uneasy feeling of being entangled in a mesh from which he was presently not going to be able to escape.

“Nell is very young. This is her first season. I want her to have every chance of being sure that she does like you better than any other man. If you agree between yourselves that you are engaged that is one thing⁠—a public announcement of your engagement is another. I could not agree to that. Any understanding between yourselves must be kept quite secret. I think you will see that that is only fair. Nell must be given every chance to change her mind if she wants to.”

“She doesn’t want to!”

“Then there is certainly no reason for objecting. As a gentleman you can hardly act otherwise. If you agree to these stipulations, I will put no obstacle in the way of your seeing Nell.”

“But, Mrs. Vereker, I want to marry Nell quite soon.”

“And what exactly do you propose to marry on?”

Vernon told her the salary he was getting from his uncle and explained the position in regard to Abbots Puissants.

When he had finished she spoke. She gave a brief and succinct résumé of house rent, servants’ wages, the cost of clothes, alluded delicately to possible perambulators, and then contrasted the picture with Nell’s present position.

Vernon was like the Queen of Sheba⁠—no spirit was left in him. He was beaten by the relentless logic of facts. A terrible woman, Nell’s mother⁠—implacable. But he saw her point. He and Nell would have to wait. He must, as Mrs. Vereker said, give her every chance of changing her mind. Not that she would, bless her lovely heart!

He essayed one last venture.

“My uncle might increase my salary. He has spoken to me several times on the advantages of early marriages. He seems very keen on the subject.”

“Oh!” Mrs. Vereker was thoughtful for a minute or two. “Has he any daughters of his own?”

“Yes, five, and the two oldest are married already.”

Mrs. Vereker smiled. A simple boy. He had quite misunderstood the point of her question. Still, she had found out what she wanted to know.

“We’ll leave it like that, then,” she said.

A clever woman!