But now, in the proper telling of our story, we must go back to Harry Annesley himself.  It will be remembered that his father had called upon Mr. Prosper, to inform him of Harry’s projected journey to America; that Mountjoy Scarborough had also called at Buston Hall; and that previous to these two visits old Mr. Scarborough had himself written a long letter giving a detailed account of the conflict which had taken place in the London streets.  These three events had operated strongly on Mr. Prosper’s mind; but not so strongly as the conduct of Miss Thoroughbung and Messrs. Soames & Simpson.  It had been made evident to him, from the joint usage which he had received from these persons, that he was simply “made use of,” with the object of obtaining from him the best possible establishment for the lady in question.

After that interview, at which the lady, having obtained in way of jointure much more than was due to her, demanded also for Miss Tickle a life-long home, and for herself a pair of ponies, he received a farther letter from the lawyers.  This offended him greatly.  Nothing on earth should induce him to write a line to Messrs. Soames & Simpson.  Nor did he see his way to writing again to Messrs. Grey & Barry about such trifles as those contained in the letter from the Buntingford lawyers.  Trifles to him they were not; but trifles they must become, if put into a letter addressed to a London firm.  “Our client is anxious to know specifically that she is to be allowed to bring Miss Tickle with her, when she removes to Buston Hall.  Her happiness depends greatly on the company of Miss Tickle, to which she had been used now for many years.  Our client wishes to be assured also that she shall be allowed to keep a pair of ponies in addition to the carriage-horses, which will be maintained, no doubt, chiefly for your own purposes.”  These were the demands as made by Messrs. Soames & Simpson, and felt by Mr. Prosper to be altogether impossible.  He recollected the passionate explosion of wrath to which the name of Miss Tickle had already brought him in presence of the clergyman of his parish.  He would endure no farther disgrace on behalf of Miss Tickle.  Miss Tickle should never be an inmate of his house, and as for the ponies, no pony should ever be stabled in his stalls.  A pony was an animal which of its very nature was objectionable to him.  There was a want of dignity in a pony to which Buston Hall should never be subjected.  “And also,” he said to himself at last, “there is a lack of dignity about Miss Thoroughbung herself which would do me an irreparable injury.”

But how should he make known his decision to the lady herself? and how should he escape from the marriage in such a manner as to leave no stain on his character as a gentleman?  If he could have offered her a sum of money, he would have done so at once; but that he thought would not be gentleman-like,—­and would be a confession on his own part that he had behaved wrongly.