Still Netta was silent.

‘He may reform, you know,’ suggested Mrs Jonathan, ’and then you may be allowed to marry,’

‘No chance of that,’ roared Mr Prothero, advancing towards Netta, taking her by the arm, and looking as if a few more of her rejoinders would bring her a good shaking.  ‘Do you mean to promise, miss?’

‘Father, you’re hurting me,’ said Netta petulantly.  ’You needn’t pinch me so.’

Mr Prothero relaxed his hold.  He doated on this obstinate, pretty, wilful child of his—­the only girl, and whose temper was the very facsimile of his own.

’It’s you’re hurting me most, Netta, by rushing into certain misery.  Will you promise?’

Again he took hold of the arm.

‘One would think you were a Papist, father, and this the Inquisition,’ said Netta, growing learned under the torture of her father’s grasp,

‘Well said, Netta,’ broke in Mr Jonathan, aroused by any allusion to any subject out of the present.  ’A cruel court that perhaps more properly called Jesuitical than Papistical.’

Mr Prothero gave Netta a slight shake, which shook more passion into both of them, and frightened Mrs Prothero.

’Once for all, Netta, will you promise to give up that scamp of a cousin of yours, Howel Jenkins?’ roared the father.

‘I won’t promise anything at all,’ replied Netta doggedly; and freeing herself from her father, she ran to her uncle as if for protection.

‘You won’t!’ said Mr Prothero, pursuing her, ’then I tell you what it is.  The moment you are known to keep company with him, you may find some other home than this; and if you determine to marry him, you shall be no longer a daughter of mine.  I’ll never, as long as I live—­’

‘Hush, hush, David, hush, please,’ said Mrs Prothero, putting her hand on his arm.  ’Netta will not disobey us, I am sure.  But it is her obstinate temper; she never would say anything she was commanded to say.’

’Then you ought to have taught her better.  She is a good-for-nothing girl, and I’ll—­’

‘Netta, you had better leave the room,’ said Rowland, opening the door, through which Netta gladly escaped. ’"Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath,"’ he added, turning to his father.  ’You will do nothing with her at present.  She is worked up to a spirit of resistance by too much argument, and the more you say the more obstinate she will become.’

‘You are all as obstinate as mules,’ said Mr Prothero; ’I can’t think who you turn after.  And then to have the impudence to say I was a Papist!  Why, I’d rather be a Methody preacher any day.  And you to encourage her, brother Jonathan.  You ought to be ashamed of yourself.’

Brother Jonathan started up from his dream of Garn Goch and the Inquisition, to repudiate the imputation of encouragement.

’I was merely glad to find that she knew anything about the Inquisition, and had any information at all in her head; generally speaking, women know so little.  I assure you, David, it was far from me to wish to encourage her in disobedience, or to offend you; so give me your hand.’