The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 284: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A REVELATION 267 them, for, on the contrary, he could not help at once sus- pecting at what the earl was driving. “To be sure, the honeymoon,’ repeated his lordship, staring fixedly in the young nobleman’s countenance. “ And it is a very odd thing that at the moment you entered the library I was about to send for you. But there are strange coincidences at times. I remember once when I was at Eton, I was just going to take up a big stone to shy at a boy’s head, when he picked up one and suddenly threw it at me with such force he nearly knocked my eye out. But as I was about to say, I was just on the point of sending for you, Adolphus, to have a very serious conversation with you. In a word, you must marry Isabella offhand, and we’ll fix this day week for the nuptials.” “ But, my dear father,” cried Lord Osmond, “ this is im- possible.” ‘Impossible! What—to marry a pretty girl? Egad! I never found it impossible.” ‘But there is no love subsisting between us,’ Lord Osmond. ‘““ Love will come of its own accord. It’s a deuce of a thing for springing up spontaneously. ’’ “ But I feel that I shall never entertain any other senti- ment than that of friendship for my cousin. Besides,” added Adolphus, hesitatingly, “* her own affections are already dis- posed of — ” “What! to that whipper-snapper who had the imper- tinence to bruise the nose of a peer of England? ”’ exclaimed the earl, rubbing the proboscis thus alluded to, as if it still smarted with the pain; “the impertinent scoundrel on whose account I was caught —’”’ the earl was just on the point of adding “ in a trap,” but quickly amending the idea, he said, “‘so nicely at the entry of that summer-house.”’ “It is perfectly true, my dear father,” replied Adolphus, who was too much abstracted to notice the peculiarity with which the earl’s last words were uttered, — “it 1s perfectly true that Christian Ashton is the object of Isabella’s affec- tions, and really, with all due deference, you can only blame yourself for having introduced him to your table and thus thrown them so much together. There is no denying that he is a very prepossessing, intellectual, and agreeable young man, and it was not therefore astonishing — ”’ ) responded CONnNIELDOOKS (EO)