g about it
even to you till I was quite certain. If you had advised
me, you know, to accept his offer, and if, after that, he
had never made it, I should have felt so foolish.

But now he has made it. He came to me yesterday just
before dinner, in the little drawing-room, and told me, in
the most delicate manner, in words that even you could not
have but approved, that his highest ambition was to be
thought worthy of my regard, and that he felt for me the
warmest love, and the most profound admiration, and the
deepest respect. You may say, Amelia, that he is only an
attorney, and I believe that he is an attorney; but I am
sure you would have esteemed him had you heard the very
delicate way in which he expressed his sentiments.

Something had given me a presentiment of what he was going
to do when I saw him come into the room, so that I was
on my guard. I tried very hard to show no emotion; but I
suppose I was a little flurried, as I once detected myself
calling him Mr Mortimer: his name, you know, is Mortimer
Gazebee. I ought not to have done so, certainly; but it
was not so bad as if I had called him Mortimer without
the Mr, was it? I don't think there could possibly be a
prettier Christian name than Mortimer. Well, Amelia, I
allowed him to express himself without interruption. He
once attempted to take my hand; but even this was done
without any assumption of familiarity; and when he saw
that I would not permit it, he drew back, and fixed his
eyes on the ground as though he were ashamed even of that.

Of course, I had to give him an answer; and though I had
expected that something of this sort would take place,
I had not made up my mind on the subject. I would not,
certainly, under any circumstances, accept him without
consulting you. If I really disliked him, of course there
would be no doubt; but I can't say, dearest Amelia, that
I do absolutely dislike him; and I really think that we
would make each other very happy, if the marriage were
suitable as regarded both our positions.

I collected myself as well as I could, and I really do
think that you would have said that I did not behave
badly, though the position was rather trying. I told him
that, of course, I was flattered by his sentiments, though
much surprised at hearing them; that since I knew him, I
had esteemed and valued him