.

Their neighbours at Canterbury were still their most intimate friends:
they were shortly, however, to lose one of them. Mr. Cooper had heard
six months before of the death of his two elder brothers in rapid
succession, and he was now heir to his father's property, which was very
extensive. It had been supposed that he would at once return to England,
and he was continually talking of doing so; but he had, under one excuse
or other, put off his departure from time to time. He was very
frequently over at Mount Pleasant, and was generally a companion of the
boys upon their excursions.

'I think Cooper is almost as much here as he is at Canterbury,' Charley
said, laughing, one day.

Mrs. Hardy happened to glance at Maud, and noticed a bright flush of
colour on her cheeks. She made no remark at the time, but spoke to Mr.
Hardy about it at night.

'You see, my dear,' she concluded, 'we are still considering Maud as a
child, but other people may look upon her as a woman.'

'I am sorry for this,' Mr. Hardy said after a pause. 'We ought to have
foreseen the possibility of such a thing. Now that it is mentioned, I
wonder we did not do so before. Mr. Cooper has been here so much, that
the thing would have certainly struck us, had we not, as you say, looked
upon Maud as a child. Against Mr. Cooper I have nothing to say. We both
like him extremely. His principles are good, and he would, in point of
money, be of course an excellent match for our little girl. At the same
time, I cannot permit anything like an engagement. Mr. Cooper has seen
no other ladies for so long a time, that it is natural enough he should
fall in love with Maud. Maud, on the other hand, has only seen the
fifteen or twenty men who came here; she knows nothing of the world, and
is altogether inexperienced. They are both going to England, and may not
improbably meet people whom they may like very much better, and may look
upon this love-making in the Pampas as a folly. At the end of another
two years, when Maud is nineteen, if Mr. Cooper renew the acquaintance
in England, and both parties agree, I shall of course offer no
objection, and indeed should rejoice much at a match which would promise
well for her happiness.'

Mrs. Hardy thoroughly agreed with her husband, and so the matter rested
for a short time.

It was well that Mr. Hardy had been warned by his wife, for a week after
this, Mr. Cooper met him alone when he was out riding, and, after some
int