re particular
about. They choose their own time for letting everybody know." Then
Dolly promised to be as mute as a fish, and took his departure.

Silverbridge had felt, towards the end of the interview, that he
had been arrogant to the unfortunate man,--particularly in saying
that the young lady would not remember the existence of such a
suitor,--and had also recognised a certain honesty in the man's
purpose, which had not been the less honest because it was so absurd.
Actuated by the consciousness of this, he had swallowed his anger,
and had told the whole truth. Nevertheless things had been said which
were horrible to him. This buffoon of a man had called his Isabel
a--pert poppet! How was he to get over the remembrance of such an
offence? And then the wretch had declared that he was--enamoured!
There was sacrilege in the term when applied by such a man to Isabel
Boncassen. He had thoughts of days to come, when everything would
be settled, when he might sit close to her, and call her pretty
names,--when he might in sweet familiarity tell her that she was a
little Yankee and a fierce republican, and "chaff" her about the
stars and stripes; and then, as he pictured the scene to himself in
his imagination, she would lean upon him and would give him back
his chaff, and would call him an aristocrat and would laugh at his
titles. As he thought of all this he would be proud with the feeling
that such privileges would be his own. And now this wretched man had
called her a pert poppet!

There was a sanctity about her,--a divinity which made it almost a
profanity to have talked about her at all to such a one as Dolly
Longstaff. She was his Holy of Holies, at which vulgar eyes should
not even be allowed to gaze. It had been a most unfortunate
interview. But this was clear; that, as he had announced his
engagement to such a one as Dolly Longstaff, the matter now would
admit of no delay. He would explain to his father that as tidings of
the engagement had got abroad, honour to the young lady would compel
him to come forward openly as her suitor at once. If this argument
might serve him, then perhaps this intrusion would not have been
altogether a misfortune.

CHAPTER LXX

"Love May Be a Great Misfortune"

Silverbridge when he reached Brook Street that day was surprised to
find that a large party was going to lunch there. Isabel had asked
him to come, and he had thought her the dearest girl in the world
for doing s