greater interest, or
bind the parties more closely together in the unity of love, than those
that are constantly offered up in behalf of the living.

The interest that Mary Pratt felt in Roswell's success needs little
explanation. In all things he was most agreeable to her, but in the one
just mentioned. Their ages, their social positions, their habits, their
orphan condition, even their prejudices--and who that dwells aside from
the world is without them, when most of those who encounter its collisions
still cherish them so strongly?--all united to render them of interest to
each other. Nor was Deacon Pratt at all opposed to the connection; on the
contrary, he appeared rather to favour it.

The objections came solely from Mary, whose heart was nearly ready to
break each time that she was required to urge them. As for the uncle, it
is not easy to say what could induce him to acquiesce in, to favour
indeed, the addresses to his niece and nearest relative, of one who was
known not to possess five hundred dollars in the world. As his opinions on
this subject were well known to all on Oyster Pond, they had excited a
good deal of speculation; "exercising" the whole neighbourhood, as was
very apt to be the case whenever anything occurred in the least out of the
ordinary track. The several modes of reasoning were something like
these:--

Some were of opinion that the deacon foresaw a successful career to, and
eventual prosperity in the habits and enterprise of, the young mate, and
that he was willing to commit to his keeping, not only his niece, but the
three farms, his "money at use," and certain shares he was known to own in
a whaler and no less than three coasters, as well as an interest in a
store at Southold; that is to say, to commit them all to the keeping of
"young Gar'ner" when he was himself dead; for no one believed he would
part with more than Mary, in his own lifetime.

Others fancied he was desirous of getting the orphan off his hands, in the
easiest possible way, that he might make a bequest of his whole estate to
the Theological Institution that had been coquetting with him now, for
several years, through its recognised agents, and to which he had already
made the liberal donation of one hundred dollars. It was well ascertained
that the agents of that Institution openly talked of getting Deacon Pratt
to sit for his portrait, in order that it might be suspended among those
of others of its benefactors.

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