\"very probably they are quite aware of what you said yesterday, john-ofthe great advantage it would be to them--to mr. hale, i mean, to beintroduced to such people as the stephenses and the collingbrooks.\"

\"i\"m sure that motive would not influence them. no! i think i understandhow it is.\"

\"john!\" said fanny, laughing in her little, weak, nervous way. \"how youprofess to understand these hales, and how you never will allow thatwe can know anything about them. are they really so very different tomost people one meets with?\"

she did not mean to vex him; but if she had intended it, she could nothāve done it more thoroughly. he chafed in silence, however, notdeigning to reply to her question.

\"they do not seem to me out of the mon way,\" said mrs. thornton.

\"he appears a worthy kind of man enough; rather too simple for trade-soit\"s perhaps as well he should hāve been a clergyman first, and now ateacher. she\"s a bit of a fine lady, with her invalidism; and as for the girl-she\"s the only one who puzzles me when i think about her,--which idon\"t often do. she seems to hāve a great notion of giving herself airs;and i can\"t make out why. i could almost fancy she thinks herself toogood for her pany at times. and yet they\"re not rich, from all i canhear they never hāve been.\"

\"and she\"s not acplished, mamma. she can\"t play.\"

\"go on, fanny. what else does she want to bring her up to yourstandard?\"

\"nay! john,\" said his mother, \"that speech of fanny\"s did no harm. imyself heard miss hale say she could not play. if you would let usalone, we could perhaps like her, and see her merits.\"

\"i\"m sure i never could!\" murmured fanny, protected by her mother. mr.

thornton heard, but did not care to reply. he was walking up and downthe dining-room, wishing that his mother would order candles, andallow him to set to work at either reading or writing, and so put a stopto the conversation. but he never thought of interfering in any of thesmall domestic regulations that mrs. thornton observed, in habitualremembrance of her old economies.

\"mother,\" said he, stopping, and brāvely speaking out the truth, \"i wishyou would like miss hale.\"

\"why?\" asked she, startled by his earnest, yet tender manner. \"you\"renever thinking of marrying her?--a girl without a penny.\"

\"she would never hāve me,\" said he, with a short laugh.

\"no, i don\"t think she would,\" answered his mother. \"she laughed in myface, when i praised her for speaking out something mr. bell had saidin your fāvour. i liked the girl for doing it so frankly, for it made mesure she had no thought of you; and the next minute she vexed me so byseeming to think----well, never mind! only you\"re right in saying she\"stoo good an opinion of herself to think of you. the saucy jade! i shouldlike to know where she\"d find a better!\"