Volume Ii Part 28 (2/2)
”There have five thousand emigrants arrived at this port within a week!” said he, as if that were something worth talking about.
”Poor creatures! where will they all go?” said Mrs. Evelyn, comfortably.
”Country's large enough,” said Thorn.
”Yes ? but such a stream of immigration will reach the Pacific, and come back again before long; and then there will be a meeting of the waters! This tide of German and Irish will sweep over everything.”
”I suppose, if the land will not bear both, one party will have to seek other quarters,” said Mrs. Evelyn, with an exquisite satisfaction, which Fleda could hear in her voice.
”You remember the story of Lot and Abraham, Mr. Stackpole ?
when a quarrel arose between them? ? not about roses.”
Mr. Stackpole looked as if women were ? to say the least ?
incomprehensible.
”Five thousand a week!” he repeated.
”I wish there was a Dead Sea for them all to sheer off into!”
said Thorn.
”If you had seen the look of grave rebuke that speech called forth, Mr. Thorn,” said Constance, ”your feelings would have been penetrated ? if you have any.”
”I had forgotten,” he said, looking round with a bland change of manner, ”what gentle charities were so near me.”
”Mamma!” said Constance, with a most comic show of indignation, ”Mr. Thorn thought that with Miss Ringgan he had forgotten all the gentle charities in the room! ? I am of no further use to society! ? I will trouble you to ring that bell, Mr. Thorn, if you please. I shall request candles, and retire to the privacy of my own apartment.”
”Not till you have permitted me to expiate my fault,” said Mr.
Thorn, laughing.
”It cannot be expiated! ? My worth will be known at some future day. Mr. Carleton, will you have the goodness to summon our domestic attendant?”
”If you will permit me to give the order,” he said, smiling, with his hand on the bell. ”I am afraid you are hardly fit to be trusted alone.”
”Why?”
”May I delay obeying you long enough to give my reasons?”
”Yes.”
”Because,” said he, coming up to her, ”when people turn away from the world in disgust, they generally find worse company in themselves.”
”Mr. Carleton! ? I would not sit still another minute, if curiosity didn't keep me. I thought solitude was said to be such a corrector!”
”Like a clear atmosphere ? an excellent medium if your object is to take an observation of your position; worse than lost if you mean to shut up the windows and burn sickly lights of your own.”
”Then, according to that, one shouldn't seek solitude unless one doesn't want it.”
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