"Your mother's nursery, Miss Osgood," he cried,
"ought on such an occasion to be tenantless."
"You think there are enough of us here to make it
so," returned the lady, with an affected sigh.
"I really had not observed the number of your
charming family--how many are there of you?"
"A baker's dozen." Charlotte laughed, and the youth
felt mortified. The laugh was natural, and clearly
extorted, without a thought of himself.
"When you are all married," he said, "you will form
a little world in yourselves."
"When the sky falls we shall catch larks."
{When the sky.... = an old proverb, found in
English, French, and even Latin, meaning that the
idea or proposal is absurd}
"Surely, you intend to marry?"
Maria made no reply, but turned her eyes on
Delafield, with an affected expression of
melancholy that excited another laugh in her friend.
"You certainly have made no rash vow on the
subject," continued Seymour, pretending to a slight
interest in her answer.
"My troth is not yet plighted," said the lady, a little
archly.
"But there is no telling how long it will continue
so."
"I am afraid so--thirteen is a dreadful divisor for a
small family estate."
A general movement in the party was gladly seized
by Charlotte as an excuse to go, and Delafield
handed her to her carriage, with the mortifying
conviction that she was utterly indifferent to every
thing but the civility of the act.
Pages:
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138