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A SHABBY GENTEEL STORY 75
conceited tale that Brandon told Caroline which she did not believe,
—no virtue which she could conceive or had read of in novels with
which she did not endow him. Many long talks had they, and
many sweet stolen interviews, during the periods in which Caroline's
father and mother were away making merry at the house of their
son-in-law ; and while she was left under the care of her virtue
and of Becky the maid. Indeed, it was a blessing that the latter
was left in the joint guardianship. For Becky, who had such an
absurd opinion of her young lady's merits as to fancy that she
was a fit wife for any gentleman of the land, and that any gentleman
might be charmed and fall in love with her, had some instinct,
or possibly some experience, as to the passions and errors of youth,
and warned Caroline accordingly. " If he's really in love, miss, and
I think he be, he'll marry you ; if he won't marry you, he's a rascal,
and you're too good for him, and must have nothing to do with
him." To which Caroline replied, that she was sure Mr. Brandon
was the most angelic, high-principled of human beings, and that she
was sure his intentions were of the most honourable description.
We have before described what Mr. Brandon's character was.
He was not a man of honourable intentions at all. But he was
a gentleman of so excessively eager a temperament, that if properly
resisted by a practised coquette, or by a woman of strong principles,
he would sacrifice anything to obtain his ends,—nay, marry to
obtain them ; and, considering his disposition, it is only a wonder
that he had not been married a great number of times already ; for
he had been in love perpetually since his seventeenth year. By
which the reader may pretty well appreciate the virtue or the
prudence of the ladies with whom hitherto our inflammable young
gentleman had had to do.
The fruit, then, of all his stolen interviews, of all his prayers,
vows, and protestations to Caroline, had been only this,—that she
loved him ; but loved him as an honest girl should, and was ready
to go to the altar with him when he chose. He talked about
his family, his peculiar circumstances, his proud father's curse.
Little Caroline only sighed, and said her dearest George must wait
until he could obtain his parent's consent. When pressed harder,
she would burst into tears, and wonder how one so good and
affectionate as he could propose to her anything unworthy of them
both. It is clear to see that the young lady had read a vast
number of novels, and knew something of the nature of love ;
and that she had a good principle and honesty of her own, which
set her lover's schemes at naught: indeed, she had both these
advantages,—her education, such as it was, having given her the
one, and her honest nature having endowed her with the other.