Mrs Varden, to her own private thinking, had never been so improvedin all her life; and when Mr Chester, rising and craving permissionto speak with her apart, took her by the hand and led her at arm"slength upstairs to the best sitting-room, she almost deemed himsomething more than human.
"Dear madam," he said, pressing her hand delicately to his lips;"be seated."
Mrs Varden called up quite a courtly air, and became seated.
"You guess my object?" said Mr Chester, drawing a chair towardsher. "You divine my purpose? I am an affectionate parent, my dearMrs Varden."
"That I am sure you are, sir," said Mrs V.
"Thank you," returned Mr Chester, tapping his snuff-box lid.
"Heavy moral responsibilities rest with parents, Mrs Varden."
Mrs Varden slightly raised her hands, shook her head, and looked atthe ground as though she saw straight through the globe, out at theother end, and into the immensity of space beyond.
"I may confide in you," said Mr Chester, "without reserve. I lovemy son, ma"am, dearly; and loving him as I do, I would save himfrom working certain misery. You know of his attachment to MissHaredale. You have abetted him in it, and very kind of you it wasto do so. I am deeply obliged to you--most deeply obliged to you-foryour interest in his behalf; but my dear ma"am, it is amistaken one, I do assure you."
Mrs Varden stammered that she was sorry--"
"Sorry, my dear ma"am," he interposed. "Never be sorry for what isso very amiable, so very good in intention, so perfectly likeyourself. But there are grave and weighty reasons, pressing familyconsiderations, and apart even from these, points of religiousdifference, which interpose themselves, and render their unionimpossible; utterly im-possible. I should have mentioned thesecircumstances to your husband; but he has--you will excuse mysaying this so freely--he has NOT your quickness of apprehension ordepth of moral sense. What an extremely airy house this is, andhow beautifully kept! For one like myself--a widower so long-thesetokens of female care and superintendence have inexpressiblecharms."
Mrs Varden began to think (she scarcely knew why) that the young MrChester must be in the wrong and the old Mr Chester must he in theright.
"My son Ned," resumed her tempter with his most winning air, "hashad, I am told, your lovely daughter"s aid, and your open-heartedhusband"s."
"--Much more than mine, sir," said Mrs Varden; "a great deal more.
I have often had my doubts. It"s a--"
"A bad example," suggested Mr Chester. "It is. No doubt it is.
Your daughter is at that age when to set before her anencouragement for young persons to rebel against their parents onthis most important point, is particularly injudicious. You arequite right. I ought to have thought of that myself, but itescaped me, I confess--so far superior are your sex to ours, dearmadam, in point of penetration and sagacity."
Mrs Varden looked as wise as if she had really said something todeserve this compliment--firmly believed she had, in short--and herfaith in her own shrewdness increased considerably.
"My dear ma"am," said Mr Chester, "you embolden me to be plainwith you. My son and I are at variance on this point. The younglady and her natural guardian differ upon it, also. And theclosing point is, that my son is bound by his duty to me, by hishonour, by every solemn tie and obligation, to marry some oneelse."
"Engaged to marry another lady!" quoth Mrs Varden, holding up herhands.
"My dear madam, brought up, educated, and trained, expressly forthat purpose. Expressly for that purpose.--Miss Haredale, I amtold, is a very charming creature."
"I am her foster-mother, and should know--the best young lady inthe world," said Mrs Varden.
"I have not the smallest doubt of it. I am sure she is. And you,who have stood in that tender relation towards her, are bound toconsult her happiness. Now, can I--as I have said to Haredale, whoquite agrees--can I possibly stand by, and suffer her to throwherself away (although she IS of a Catholic family), upon a youngfellow who, as yet, has no heart at all? It is no imputation uponhim to say he has not, because young men who have plunged deeplyinto the frivolities and conventionalities of society, very seldomhave. Their hearts never grow, my dear ma"am, till after thirty.
I don"t believe, no, I do NOT believe, that I had any heart myselfwhen I was Ned"s age."
"Oh sir," said Mrs Varden, "I think you must have had. It"simpossible that you, who have so much now, can ever have beenwithout any."
"I hope," he answered, shrugging his shoulders meekly, "I have alittle; I hope, a very little--Heaven knows! But to return to Ned;I have no doubt you thought, and therefore interfered benevolentlyin his behalf, that I objected to Miss Haredale. How verynatural! My dear madam, I object to him--to him--emphatically toNed himself."
Mrs Varden was perfectly aghast at the disclosure.