gentleman," said the
father, exerting himself.

"And a man connected with the institutions of this country," said the
mother. "A woman in your position has serious duties. Where duty and
inclination clash, she must follow duty."

"I don't deny that," said Catherine, getting colder in proportion to
her mother's heat. "But one may say very true things and apply them
falsely. People can easily take the sacred word duty as a name for what
they desire any one else to do."

"Your parent's desire makes no duty for you, then?"

"Yes, within reason. But before I give up the happiness of my life--"

"Catherine, Catherine, it will not be your happiness," said Mrs.
Arrowpoint, in her most raven-like tones.

"Well, what seems to me my happiness--before I give it up, I must see
some better reason than the wish that I should marry a nobleman, or a
man who votes with a party that he may be turned into a nobleman. I
feel at liberty to marry the man I love and think worthy, unless some
higher duty forbids."

"And so it does, Catherine, though you are blinded and cannot see it.
It is a woman's duty not to lower herself. You are lowering yourself.
Mr. Arrowpoint, will you tell your daughter what is her duty?"

"You must see, Catherine, that Klesmer is not the man for you," said
Mr. Arrowpoint. "He won't do at the head of estates. He has a deuced
foreign look--is an unpractical man."

"I really can't see what that has to do with it, papa. The land of
England has often passed into the hands of foreigners--Dutch soldiers,
sons of foreign women of bad character:--if our land were sold
to-morrow it would very likely pass into the hands of some foreign
merchant on 'Change. It is in everybody's mouth that successful
swindlers may buy up half the land in the country. How can I stem that
tide?"

"It will never do to argue about marriage, Cath," said Mr. Arrowpoint.
"It's no use getting up the subject like a parliamentary question. We
must do as other people do. We must think of the nation and the public
good."

"I can't see any public good concerned here, papa," said Catherine.
"Why is it to be expected of any heiress that she should carry the
property gained in trade into the hands of a certain class? That seems
to be a ridiculous mishmash of superannuated customs and false
ambition. I should call it a public evil. People had better make a new
sort of public good by changing their ambitions."

"That is mere sophistry, Catherine,"