whose temper neither she
herself nor any other human being, unless her husband, when provoked
too far, could keep under anything like decent restraint, had got into a
passion, while he, Woodward, was making his visit; and while in a blaze
of resentment against the Goodwins she disclosed the secret of
his rejection by Alice, and dwelt with bitter indignation upon the
attachment she had avowed for Charles--a secret which Henry had most
dishonorably intrusted to her, but which, as the reader sees, she had
neither temper nor principle to keep.

On entering the house he found his; mother and step-father at high feud.
The I brows of the latter were knit, as was always the case when he
found himself bent upon mischief. He was calm, however, which was
another bad sign, for in him the old adage was completely reversed,
"After a storm comes a calm," whilst in his case it uniformly preceded
it.

Woodward looked about him with amazement; his step-father was standing
with his back to the parlor fire, holding the skirts of his coat divided
behind, whilst his wife stood opposite to him, her naturally red face
still naming more deeply with a tornado of indignation.

"And you dare to tell me that you'll consent to Charles's marriage with
her?"

"Yes, my dear, I dare to tell you so. You have no objection that she
should marry your son Harry there. You forgot or dissembled your scorn
and resentment against her, when you thought you could make a catch of
her property: a very candid and disinterested proceeding on your part,
Well, what's the consequence? That's all knocked up; the girl won't have
him, because she is attached to his brother, and because his brother is
attached to her. Now that is just as it ought to be, and, please God,
we'll have them married. And I now I take the liberty of asking you both
to the wedding."

"Lindsay, you're an offensive old dog, sir."

"I might retort the compliment by changing the sex, my dear," he
replied, laughing! and nodding at her, with a face, from the nose down,
rather benevolent than otherwise, but still the knit was between the
brows.

"Lindsay, you're an unmanly villain, and a coward to boot, or you
wouldn't use such language to a woman."

"Not to a woman; but I'm sometimes forced to do so to a termagant."

"What's the cause of all this?" inquired Woodward; "upon my honor, the
language I hear is very surprising, as coming from a justice of quorum
and his lady. Fie! fie! I am ashamed