en leading; I
shall turn over a new leaf, and be another man if you will help me."

The confession was fatally facile, like most confessions, but it was
sincere, and not without its touching element, which, however, did not
reach her.

She replied, without being greatly moved, and corrected what might be a
slight misconception on his part: "I am quite aware, Mr. Norgate, that
you have been rather wild; but since you mean to do better, I am willing
to try you and to be your wife."

Diana's candid acquiescence had the same disconcerting influence upon
Gervase that her speeches had on her father, unlike as the men were: it
struck him dumb when he should have overwhelmed her with thanks. After a
while he recovered himself, took heart of grace, and blundered out that
he was grateful,--a happy man; would she not say Gervase, when she was
having him altogether?

"I suppose I may," acceded Diana, with a hard smile. "There, Gervase--it
is not hard to say," as if she were humouring him.

He did not ask for any more favours or rights, but maundered a little on
nobody calling him Gervase for many a day except his aunt Tabby, and she
contracted it to Jarvie, which had a stage-coach flavour.

"Tell me something about your aunt Tabby. Do you know, I have not
visited an aunt since I was a little girl of ten?" This afforded him an
opening more naturally and pleasantly, and the two went off on Aunt
Tabby instead of accomplishing more courtship, and got on a little
better. Diverging from Aunt Tabby to her place, and from her place to
Ashpound, they went on with mention of Gervase's factotum, Miles, and
discussed capabilities and future arrangements with wonderful common
sense.

Mr. Baring swallowed his last gape over his 'Chronicle,' concluded
that the couple had surely had their swing of private conversation for
one night, and resolved to curtail the courtship to the shortest
decorous bounds. So Mr. Baring looked at his watch, and said quite
lovingly to Gervase: "My boy, when I do act the family man, I do the
thing thoroughly, by supping in my dressing-room at eleven. What! you
are off? A pleasant ride to you. You will receive your orders from
Die, I fancy, when to report yourself in attendance. To-morrow is it,
or next day? Make yourself at home, my dear fellow. Happy to think
that you are going to be one of us--a son for me to be proud of.
Good-night. God bless you."

Thus the preliminaries to the alliance ended with Gervase