disgraceful lineage; when and where Lord Bohun and himself had been
fellow-travellers--all was alike obscure and shadowy. Not that her noble
guest was inattentive to her inquiries; on the contrary, he almost
annoyed her by his constant devotion: she was almost, indeed, inclined
to resent his singularly marked expressions of admiration as an insult;
when, to her utter astonishment, one morning her father astounded her by
an announcement that Lord Bohun had done her the honour of offering her
his hand and heart. The beautiful Henrietta was in great perplexity.
It was due to Lord Bohun to reject his flattering proposal without
reservation: it was difficult, almost impossible, to convince her father
of the expediency of such a proceeding. There was in the proposal of
Lord Bohun every circumstance which could gratify Major Ponsonby. In
the wildest dreams of his paternal ambition, his hopes had never soared
higher than the possession of such a son-in-law: high born, high
rank, splendid fortune, and accomplished youth, were combined in the
individual whom some favouring destiny, it would seem, had wafted to
this distant and obscure isle to offer his vows to its accomplished
mistress. That his daughter might hesitate, on so brief an acquaintance,
to unite her eternal lot in life with a comparative stranger, was what
he had in some degree, anticipated; but that she should unhesitatingly
and unreservedly decline the proposal, was conduct for which he was
totally unprepared. He was disappointed and mortified--for the first
time in his life he was angry with his child. It is strange that Lord
Bohun, who had required a deputy to make, a proposition which, of all
others, the most becomes and most requires a principal, should, when
his fate was decided, have requested a personal interview with Miss
Ponsonby. It was a favour which she could not refuse, for her father
required her to grant it. She accordingly prepared herself for a
repetition of the proposal from lips, doubtless unaccustomed to sue in
vain. It was otherwise: never had Lord Bohun conducted himself in a more
kind and unaffected manner than during this interview: it pained Miss
Ponsonby to think she had pained one who was in reality so amiable: she
was glad, however, to observe that he did not appear very much moved or
annoyed. Lord Bohun expressed his gratitude for the agreeable hours he
had spent in her society; and then most delicately ventured to inquire
whether time m