By degrees it
came down to six months in his imagination, and now to three, resulting
in an idea that they might be easily married early in June, so as to
have the whole of the summer before them for their wedding-tour.
"Mother," he said, "I shall be off to-morrow."
"To Cheltenham?"
"Yes, to Cheltenham. What is the good of waiting. I think a girl may be
too obedient to her mother."
"It is a fine feeling, which you will be glad to remember that she
possessed."
"Supposing that you had declared that Molly shouldn't have married Joe
Thoroughbung?"
"Molly has got a father," said Mrs. Annesley.
"Suppose she had none?"
"I cannot suppose anything so horrible."
"As if you and he had joined together to forbid Molly."
"But we didn't."
"I think a girl may carry it too far," said Harry. "Mrs. Mountjoy has
committed herself to Mountjoy Scarborough, and will not go back from her
word. He has again come back to the fore, and out of a ruined man has
appeared as the rich proprietor of the town of Tretton. Of course the
mother hangs on to him still."
"You don't think Florence will change?"
"Not in the least. I'm not a bit afraid of Mountjoy Scarborough and all
his property; but I can see that she may be subjected to much annoyance
from which I ought to extricate her.
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