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Isles of Shoals?"
"'Mrs. Wishart!" Mrs. Caruthers echoed. "Has she got that girl withher?"
Silence. Then Philip remarked with a laugh, that Tom's plan of "coolingoff" seemed problematical.
"Tom," said his sister solemnly, "is Miss Lothrop going to be there?"
"Don't know, upon my word," said Tom. "I haven't heard."
"She is, and that's what you're going for. O Tom, Tom!" cried hissister despairingly. "Mr. Dillwyn, what shall we do with him?"
"Can't easily manage a fellow of his size, Miss Julia. Let him take hischance."
"Take his chance! Such a chance!"
"Yes, Philip," said Tom's mother; "you ought to stand by us."
"With all my heart, dear Mrs. Caruthers; but I am afraid I should be aweak support. Really, don't you think Tom might do worse?"
"Worse?" said the elder lady; "what could be worse than for him tobring such a wife into the house?"
Tom gave an inarticulate kind of snort just here, which was not lackingin expression. Philip went on calmly.
"Such a wife – " he repeated. "Mrs. Caruthers, here is room fordiscussion. Suppose we settle, for example, what Tom, or anybodysituated like Tom, ought to look for and insist upon finding, in awife. I wish you and Miss Julia would make out the list ofqualifications."
"Stuff!" muttered Tom. "It would be hard lines, if a fellow must have awife of his family's choosing!"
"His family can talk about it," said Philip, "and certainly will. Holdyour tongue, Tom. I want to hear your mother."
"Why, Mr. Dillwyn," said the lady, "you know as well as I do; and youthink just as I do about it, and about this Miss Lothrop."
"Perhaps; but let us reason the matter out. Maybe it will do Tom good.What ought he to have in a wife, Mrs. Caruthers? and we'll try to showhim he is looking in the wrong quarter."
"I'm not looking anywhere!" growled Tom; but no one believed him.
"Well, Philip," Mrs. Caruthers began, "he ought to marry a girl of goodfamily."
"Certainly. By 'good family' you mean – ?"
"Everybody knows what I mean."
"Possibly Tom does not."
"I mean, a girl that one knows about, and that everybody knows about; that has good blood in her veins."
"The blood of respectable and respected ancestors," Philip said.
"Yes! that is what I mean. I mean, that have been respectable andrespected for a long time back – for years and years."
"You believe in inheritance."
"I don't know about that," said Mrs. Caruthers. "I believe in family."
"Well, I believe in inheritance. But what proof is there that theyoung lady of whom we were speaking has no family?"
Julia raised herself up from her reclining position, and Mrs. Carutherssat suddenly forward in her chair.
"Why, she is nobody!" cried the first. "Nobody knows her, nor anythingabout her."
"Here– " said Philip.
"Here! Of course. Where else?"
"Yes, just listen to that!" Tom broke in. "I xxow should anybody knowher here, where she has never lived! But that's the way – "
"I suppose a Sandwich Islander's family is known in the Sandwich
Islands," said Mrs. Caruthers. "But what good is that to us?"
"Then you mean, the family must be a New York family?"
"N – o," said Mrs. Caruthers hesitatingly; "I don't mean that exactly.
There are good Southern families – "
"And good Eastern families!" put in Tom.
"But nobody knows anything about this girl's family," said the ladiesboth in a breath.
"Mrs. Wishart does," said Philip. "She has even told me. The familydates back to the beginning of the colony, and boasts of extremerespectability. I forget how many judges and ministers it can count up; and at least one governor of the colony; and there is no spot or stainupon it anywhere."
There was silence.
"Go on, Mrs. Caruthers. What else should Tom look for in a wife?"
"It is not merely what a family has been, but what its associationshave been," said Mrs. Caruthers.
"These have evidently been respectable."
"But it is not that only, Philip. We want the associations of goodsociety; and we want position. I want Tom to marry a woman of goodposition."
"Hm!" said Philip. "This lady has not been accustomed to anything thatyou would call 'society,' and 'position' – But your son has positionenough, Mrs. Caruthers. He can stand without much help."
"Now, Philip, don't you go to encourage Tom in this mad fancy. It'sjust a fancy. The girl has nothing; and Tom's wife ought to be – Ishall break my heart if Tom's wife is not of good family and position, and good manners, and good education. That's the least I can ask for."
"She has as good manners as anybody you know!" said Tom flaring up. "Asgood as Julia's, and better."
"I should say, she has no manner whatever," remarked Miss Julia quietly.
"'Mrs. Wishart!" Mrs. Caruthers echoed. "Has she got that girl withher?"
Silence. Then Philip remarked with a laugh, that Tom's plan of "coolingoff" seemed problematical.
"Tom," said his sister solemnly, "is Miss Lothrop going to be there?"
"Don't know, upon my word," said Tom. "I haven't heard."
"She is, and that's what you're going for. O Tom, Tom!" cried hissister despairingly. "Mr. Dillwyn, what shall we do with him?"
"Can't easily manage a fellow of his size, Miss Julia. Let him take hischance."
"Take his chance! Such a chance!"
"Yes, Philip," said Tom's mother; "you ought to stand by us."
"With all my heart, dear Mrs. Caruthers; but I am afraid I should be aweak support. Really, don't you think Tom might do worse?"
"Worse?" said the elder lady; "what could be worse than for him tobring such a wife into the house?"
Tom gave an inarticulate kind of snort just here, which was not lackingin expression. Philip went on calmly.
"Such a wife – " he repeated. "Mrs. Caruthers, here is room fordiscussion. Suppose we settle, for example, what Tom, or anybodysituated like Tom, ought to look for and insist upon finding, in awife. I wish you and Miss Julia would make out the list ofqualifications."
"Stuff!" muttered Tom. "It would be hard lines, if a fellow must have awife of his family's choosing!"
"His family can talk about it," said Philip, "and certainly will. Holdyour tongue, Tom. I want to hear your mother."
"Why, Mr. Dillwyn," said the lady, "you know as well as I do; and youthink just as I do about it, and about this Miss Lothrop."
"Perhaps; but let us reason the matter out. Maybe it will do Tom good.What ought he to have in a wife, Mrs. Caruthers? and we'll try to showhim he is looking in the wrong quarter."
"I'm not looking anywhere!" growled Tom; but no one believed him.
"Well, Philip," Mrs. Caruthers began, "he ought to marry a girl of goodfamily."
"Certainly. By 'good family' you mean – ?"
"Everybody knows what I mean."
"Possibly Tom does not."
"I mean, a girl that one knows about, and that everybody knows about; that has good blood in her veins."
"The blood of respectable and respected ancestors," Philip said.
"Yes! that is what I mean. I mean, that have been respectable andrespected for a long time back – for years and years."
"You believe in inheritance."
"I don't know about that," said Mrs. Caruthers. "I believe in family."
"Well, I believe in inheritance. But what proof is there that theyoung lady of whom we were speaking has no family?"
Julia raised herself up from her reclining position, and Mrs. Carutherssat suddenly forward in her chair.
"Why, she is nobody!" cried the first. "Nobody knows her, nor anythingabout her."
"Here– " said Philip.
"Here! Of course. Where else?"
"Yes, just listen to that!" Tom broke in. "I xxow should anybody knowher here, where she has never lived! But that's the way – "
"I suppose a Sandwich Islander's family is known in the Sandwich
Islands," said Mrs. Caruthers. "But what good is that to us?"
"Then you mean, the family must be a New York family?"
"N – o," said Mrs. Caruthers hesitatingly; "I don't mean that exactly.
There are good Southern families – "
"And good Eastern families!" put in Tom.
"But nobody knows anything about this girl's family," said the ladiesboth in a breath.
"Mrs. Wishart does," said Philip. "She has even told me. The familydates back to the beginning of the colony, and boasts of extremerespectability. I forget how many judges and ministers it can count up; and at least one governor of the colony; and there is no spot or stainupon it anywhere."
There was silence.
"Go on, Mrs. Caruthers. What else should Tom look for in a wife?"
"It is not merely what a family has been, but what its associationshave been," said Mrs. Caruthers.
"These have evidently been respectable."
"But it is not that only, Philip. We want the associations of goodsociety; and we want position. I want Tom to marry a woman of goodposition."
"Hm!" said Philip. "This lady has not been accustomed to anything thatyou would call 'society,' and 'position' – But your son has positionenough, Mrs. Caruthers. He can stand without much help."
"Now, Philip, don't you go to encourage Tom in this mad fancy. It'sjust a fancy. The girl has nothing; and Tom's wife ought to be – Ishall break my heart if Tom's wife is not of good family and position, and good manners, and good education. That's the least I can ask for."
"She has as good manners as anybody you know!" said Tom flaring up. "Asgood as Julia's, and better."
"I should say, she has no manner whatever," remarked Miss Julia quietly.
Другие электронные книги автора Susan Warner
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