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At the present moment Buston Hall and the neighborhood of Buntingford had few charms for him. He was afraid that Miss Thoroughbung would not give way about the ponies; and against the ponies he was resolved. He was sitting in this state with a map before him, and with the squire's letter upon the map, when Matthew, the butler, opened the door and announced a visitor. As soon as Mr.
Miss Tickle was at any rate twenty years older than Miss Thoroughbung, and was of all slaves at the same time the humblest and the most irritating. She never asked for anything, but was always painting the picture of her own deserts. "I hope I have the pleasure of seeing Miss Tickle quite well," said the squire, as soon as he had paid his first compliments to the lady of his love. "Thank you, Mr.
"Yes, Joe, Joe Thoroughbung, my nephew, and yours that is to be. Did you not write and tell him that everything was over?" "I never wrote to young Mr. Thoroughbung in my life. I should not have dreamed of such a correspondence on such a subject." "Well, he says you did. Or, if you didn't write to Joe himself, you wrote to somebody." "I may have written to somebody, certainly."
At any rate, they had been constant companions for many years. Therefore, as he had another solid ground on which to stand, he could afford to yield as to Miss Tickle. But as he did so, he remembered that Miss Tickle had accused him of "keeping company," and he declared to himself that it would be impossible to live in the same house with her. "But Miss Tickle may come?" said Miss Thoroughbung.
Ten thousand pounds wouldn't be too much, considering the distress to my wounded feelings." Here Miss Thoroughbung put her handkerchief up to her eyes. There was nothing that he could say. Whether she were laughing at him, as he thought to be most probable, or whether there was some grain of truth in the demand which she made, he found it equally impossible to make any reply.
"In beholding Miss Thoroughbung I behold her on whom I hope I may depend for all the future happiness of my life." He did feel that it had come in the right place. It had been intended to be said immediately after her acceptance of him. But it did very well where it was. It expressed, as he assured himself, the feelings of his heart, and must draw from her some declaration of hers.
His "veni, vidi, vici," was confined to his own bosom. As they rode home together there came to be a little crowd of men round Thoroughbung, giving him the praises that were his due. But one by one they fell off from Annesley's side of the road. He soon felt that no one addressed a word to him. He was, probably, too prone to encourage them in this.
It was not probable, nay, it was impossible, that he should mention the subject to any one; but still he must visibly prepare for it, and I think that he was aware that the world around him knew what he was about. And the Thoroughbung's knew, and Miss Matilda Thoroughbung knew well. All Buntingford knew.
He thought it well over, and felt assured that very much of the success of such a measure must depend upon the wording of the letter. There need be no immediate haste. Miss Thoroughbung would not come to Buston again quite at once to disturb him by a farther visit. Before she would come he would have flown to Italy.
So he drew himself up, and dangled his glove more slowly than before. "Then you were not going on to congratulate them at the brewery?" "Certainly not." "I did not know." "My purpose carries me no farther than Marmaduke Lodge. I have no desire to see any one to-day besides Miss Thoroughbung." "That is a compliment." Then his memory suddenly brought back to him one of his composed sentences.
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