"If my father has given you a promise for
me, I will keep it. But I don't want to deceive you, on my part, Mr.
Whitelaw," she went on in a somewhat firmer tone. "I will be your wife,
since you and my father have settled that it must be so; but I can
promise no more than that. I will be dutiful and submissive to you as a
wife, you may be sure--only----"
Mr. Whitelaw smiled a very significant smile, which implied that it would
be his care to insure his wife's obedience, and that he was troubled by
no doubts upon that head.
The bailiff broke-in abruptly at this juncture.
"Lord bless the girl, what need is there of all this talk about what she
will be and what she won't be? She'll be as good a wife as any woman in
England, I'll stake my life upon that. She's been a good daughter, as all
the world knows, and a good daughter is bound to make a good wife. Say no
more about it, Nell. Stephen Whitelaw knows he'll make no bad bargain in
marrying you."
The farmer received this remark with a loud sniff, expressive of offended
dignity.
"Very likely not, William Carley," he said; "but it isn't every man that
can make your daughter mistress of such a place as Wyncomb; and such men
as could do it would look for money with a wife, however young and pretty
she might be. There's two sides to a bargain, you see, William, and I
should like things to be looked at in that light between you and me.
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