Doctor Thorne, Anthony Trollope [best book reader .txt] 📗

CHAPTER XXXVIII

De Courcy Precepts and de Courcy Practice

 

There is a mode of novel-writing which used to be much in vogue, but

which has now gone out of fashion. It is, nevertheless, one which is

very expressive when in good hands, and which enables the author to

tell his story, or some portion of his story, with more natural trust

than any other, I mean that of familiar letters. I trust I shall be

excused if I attempt it as regards this one chapter; though, it may

be, that I shall break down and fall into the commonplace narrative,

even before the one chapter be completed. The correspondents are the

Lady Amelia de Courcy and Miss Gresham. I, of course, give precedence

to the higher rank, but the first epistle originated with the

latter-named young lady. Let me hope that they will explain

themselves.

 

Miss Gresham to Lady Amelia de Courcy

 

Greshamsbury House, June, 185—.

 

MY DEAREST AMELIA,

 

I wish to consult you on a subject which, as you will

perceive, is of a most momentous nature. You know how much

reliance I place in your judgement and knowledge of what

is proper, and, therefore, I write to you before speaking

to any other living person on the subject: not even to

mamma; for, although her judgement is good too, she has so

many cares and troubles, that it is natural that it should

be a little warped when the interests of her children are

concerned. Now that it is all over, I feel that it may

possibly have been so in the case of Mr Moffat.

 

You are aware that Mr Mortimer Gazebee is now staying

here, and that he has been here for nearly two months. He

is engaged in managing poor papa’s affairs, and mamma, who

likes him very much, says that he is a most excellent man

of business. Of course, you know that he is the junior

partner in the very old firm of Gumption, Gazebee, &

Gazebee, who, I understand, do not undertake any business

at all, except what comes to them from peers, or commoners

of the very highest class.

 

I soon perceived, dearest Amelia, that Mr Gazebee paid me

more than ordinary attention, and I immediately became

very guarded in my manner. I certainly liked Mr Gazebee

from the first. His manners are quite excellent, his

conduct to mamma is charming, and, as regards myself, I

must say that there has been nothing in his behaviour of

which even you could complain. He has never attempted

the slightest familiarity, and I will do him the justice

to say, that, though he has been very attentive, he has

also been very respectful.

 

I must confess that, for the last three weeks, I have

thought that he meant something. I might, perhaps, have

done more to repel him; or I might have consulted you

earlier as to the propriety of keeping altogether out of

his way. But you know, Amelia, how often these things lead

to nothing, and though I thought all along that Mr Gazebee

was in earnest, I hardly liked to say anything about it

even to you till I was quite certain. If you had advised

me, you know, to accept his offer, and if, after that, he

had never made it, I should have felt so foolish.

 

But now he has made it. He came to me yesterday just

before dinner, in the little drawing-room, and told me, in

the most delicate manner, in words that even you could not

have but approved, that his highest ambition was to be

thought worthy of my regard, and that he felt for me the

warmest love, and the most profound admiration, and the

deepest respect. You may say, Amelia, that he is only an

attorney, and I believe that he is an attorney; but I am

sure you would have esteemed him had you heard the very

delicate way in which he expressed his sentiments.

 

Something had given me a presentiment of what he was going

to do when I saw him come into the room, so that I was

on my guard. I tried very hard to show no emotion; but I

suppose I was a little flurried, as I once detected myself

calling him Mr Mortimer: his name, you know, is Mortimer

Gazebee. I ought not to have done so, certainly; but it

was not so bad as if I had called him Mortimer without

the Mr, was it? I don’t think there could possibly be a

prettier Christian name than Mortimer. Well, Amelia, I

allowed him to express himself without interruption. He

once attempted to take my hand; but even this was done

without any assumption of familiarity; and when he saw

that I would not permit it, he drew back, and fixed his

eyes on the ground as though he were ashamed even of that.

 

Of course, I had to give him an answer; and though I had

expected that something of this sort would take place,

I had not made up my mind on the subject. I would not,

certainly, under any circumstances, accept him without

consulting you. If I really disliked him, of course there

would be no doubt; but I can’t say, dearest Amelia, that

I do absolutely dislike him; and I really think that we

would make each other very happy, if the marriage were

suitable as regarded both our positions.

 

I collected myself as well as I could, and I really do

think that you would have said that I did not behave

badly, though the position was rather trying. I told him

that, of course, I was flattered by his sentiments, though

much surprised at hearing them; that since I knew him, I

had esteemed and valued him as an acquaintance, but that,

looking on him as a man of business, I had never expected

anything more. I then endeavoured to explain to him, that

I was not perhaps privileged, as some other girls might

be, to indulge my own feelings altogether: perhaps that

was saying too much, and might make him think that I was

in love with him; but, from the way I said it, I don’t

think he would, for I was very much guarded in my manner,

and very collected; and then I told him, that in any

proposal of marriage that might be made to me, it would

be my duty to consult my family as much, if not more than

myself.

 

He said, of course; and asked whether he might speak to

papa. I tried to make him understand, that in talking of

my family, I did not exactly mean papa, or even mamma.

Of course I was thinking of what was due to the name of

Gresham. I know very well what papa would say. He would

give his consent in half a minute; he is so broken-hearted

by these debts. And, to tell you the truth, Amelia, I

think mamma would too. He did not seem quite to comprehend

what I meant; but he did say that he knew it was a high

ambition to marry into the family of the Greshams. I

am sure you would confess that he has the most proper

feelings; and as for expressing them no man could do it

better.

 

He owned that it was ambition to ally himself with a

family above his own rank in life, and that he looked to

doing so as a means of advancing himself. Now this was at

any rate honest. That was one of his motives, he said;

though, of course, not his first: and then he declared

how truly attached he was to me. In answer to this, I

remarked, that he had known me only a very short time.

This, perhaps, was giving him too much encouragement; but,

at that moment, I hardly knew what to say, for I did not

wish to hurt his feelings. He then spoke of his income.

He has fifteen hundred a year from the business, and that

will be greatly increased when his father leaves it; and

his father is much older then Mr Gumption, though he is

only the second partner. Mortimer Gazebee will be the

senior partner himself before very long; and perhaps that

does alter his position a little.

 

He has a very nice place down somewhere in Surrey; I have

heard mamma say it is quite a gentleman’s place. It is let

now; but he will live there when he is married. And he

has property of his own besides which he can settle. So,

you see, he is quite as well off as Mr Oriel; better,

indeed; and if a man is in a profession, I believe it is

considered that it does not much matter what. Of course, a

clergyman can be a bishop; but then, I think I have heard

that one attorney did once become Lord Chancellor. I

should have my carriage, you know; I remember his saying

that, especially, though I cannot recollect how he brought

it in.

 

I told him, at last, that I was so much taken by surprise

that I could not give him an answer then. He was going

up to London, he said, on the next day, and might he

be permitted to address me on the same subject when he

returned? I could not refuse him, you know; and so now I

have taken the opportunity of his absence to write to you

for your advice. You understand the world so very well,

and know so exactly what one ought to do in such a strange

position!

 

I hope I have made it intelligible, at least, as to what

I have written about. I have said nothing as to my own

feelings, because I wish you to think on the matter

without consulting them. If it would be derogatory to

accept Mr Gazebee, I certainly would not do so because I

happen to like him. If we were to act in that way, what

would the world come to, Amelia? Perhaps my ideas may be

overstrained; if so, you will tell me.

 

When Mr Oriel proposed for Beatrice, nobody seemed to make

any objection. It all seemed to go as a matter of course.

She says that his family is excellent; but as far as I can

learn, his grandfather was a general in India, and came

home very rich. Mr Gazebee’s grandfather was a member of

the firm, and so, I believe, was his great-grandfather.

Don’t you think this ought to count for something?

Besides, they have no business except with the most

aristocratic persons, such as uncle de Courcy, and the

Marquis of Kensington Gore, and that sort. I mention the

marquis, because Mr Mortimer Gazebee is there now. And I

know that one of the Gumptions was once in Parliament; and

I don’t think that any of the Oriels ever were. The name

of attorney is certainly very bad, is it not, Amelia? but

they certainly do not seem to be all the same, and I do

think that this ought to make a difference. To hear Mr

Mortimer Gazebee talk of some attorney at Barchester, you