ad caused
the letter from Colonel Powys to Colonel Ashburnham--a letter that was
half-humorous, half longing. Mrs Ashburnham caused her husband to
reply, with a letter a little more jocular--something to the effect
that Colonel Powys ought to give them some idea of the goods that he
was marketing. That was the cause of the photograph. I have seen it, the
seven girls, all in white dresses, all very much alike in feature--all,
except Leonora, a little heavy about the chins and a little stupid about
the eyes. I dare say it would have made Leonora, too, look a little
heavy and a little stupid, for it was not a good photograph. But the
black shadow from one of the branches of the apple tree cut right
across her face, which is all but invisible. There followed an extremely
harassing time for Colonel and Mrs Powys. Mrs Ashburnham had written
to say that, quite sincerely, nothing would give greater ease to
her maternal anxieties than to have her son marry one of Mrs Powys'
daughters if only he showed some inclination to do so. For, she added,
nothing but a love-match was to be thought of in her Edward's case.
But the poor Powys couple had to run things so very fine that even the
bringing together of the young people was a desperate hazard.

The mere expenditure upon sending one of the girls over from Ireland to
Branshaw was terrifying to them; and whichever girl they selected might
not be the one to ring Edward's bell. On the other hand, the expenditure
upon mere food and extra sheets for a visit from the Ashburnhams to them
was terrifying, too. It would mean, mathematically, going short in so
many meals themselves, afterwards. Nevertheless, they chanced it, and
all the three Ashburnhams came on a visit to the lonely manor-house.
They could give Edward some rough shooting, some rough fishing and
a whirl of femininity; but I should say the girls made really more
impression upon Mrs Ashburnham than upon Edward himself. They appeared
to her to be so clean run and so safe. They were indeed so clean run
that, in a faint sort of way, Edward seems to have regarded them rather
as boys than as girls. And then, one evening, Mrs Ashburnham had with
her boy one of those conversations that English mothers have with
English sons. It seems to have been a criminal sort of proceeding,
though I don't know what took place at it. Anyhow, next morning Colonel
Ashburnham asked on behalf of his son for the hand of Leonora. This
caused some consternat