Part 30 (1/2)
”Your daughter could be nothing else.”
”Too young to know her own mind,” pursued Lord Marshmoreton, resolutely crus.h.i.+ng down a flutter of pleasure. There was no doubt that this singularly agreeable man was making things very difficult for him. It was disarming to discover that he was really capital company--the best, indeed, that the earl could remember to have discovered in the more recent period of his rather lonely life. ”At present, of course, she fancies that she is very much in love with you ... It is absurd!”
”You needn't tell me that,” said George. Really, it was only the fact that people seemed to go out of their way to call at his cottage and tell him that Maud loved him that kept him from feeling his cause perfectly hopeless. ”It's incredible. It's a miracle.”
”You are a romantic young man, and you no doubt for the moment suppose that you are in love with her.”
”No!” George was not going to allow a remark like that to pa.s.s unchallenged. ”You are wrong there. As far as I am concerned, there is no question of its being momentary or supposit.i.tious or anything of that kind. I am in love with your daughter. I was from the first moment I saw her. I always shall be. She is the only girl in the world!”
”Stuff and nonsense!”
”Not at all. Absolute, cold fact.”
”You have known her so little time.”
”Long enough.”
Lord Marshmoreton sighed. ”You are upsetting things terribly.”
”Things are upsetting me terribly.”
”You are causing a great deal of trouble and annoyance.”
”So did Romeo.”
”Eh?”
”I said--So did Romeo.”
”I don't know anything about Romeo.”
”As far as love is concerned, I begin where he left off.”
”I wish I could persuade you to be sensible.”
”That's just what I think I am.”
”I wish I could get you to see my point of view.”
”I do see your point of view. But dimly. You see, my own takes up such a lot of the foreground.”
There was a pause.
”Then I am afraid,” said Lord Marshmoreton, ”that we must leave matters as they stand.”
”Until they can be altered for the better.”
”We will say no more about it now.”
”Very well.”
”But I must ask you to understand clearly that I shall have to do everything in my power to stop what I look on as an unfortunate entanglement.”