“I will make no promise,” said Mrs. Clavering, “but I will see.”  Then she went up stairs to the room where the girls were sitting, and the sacrificial lamb was sent down into the drawing-room.  “I suppose, if you say so, mamma—­”

“I think, my dear, that you had better see him.  You will meet then more comfortably afterward.”  So Fanny went into the drawing-room, and Mr. Saul was sent to her there.  What passed between them all readers of these pages will understand.  Few young ladies, I fear, will envy Fanny Clavering her lover; but they will remember that Love will still be lord of all, and they will acknowledge that he had done much to deserve the success in life which had come in his way.

It was long before the old rector could reconcile himself either to the new rector or his new son-in-law.  Mrs. Clavering had now so warmly taken up Fanny’s part, and had so completely assumed a mother’s interest in her coming marriage, that Mr. Clavering, or Sir Henry, as we may now call him, had found himself obliged to abstain from repeating to her the wonder with which he still regarded his daughter’s choice.  But to Harry he could still be eloquent on the subject.  “Of course it’s all right now,” ho said.  “He’s a very good young man, and nobody would work harder in the parish.  I always thought I was very lucky to have such an assistant; but, upon my word, I can not understand Fanny—­I can not, indeed.”

“She has been taken by the religious side of her character,” said Harry.

“Yes, of course.  And no doubt it is very gratifying to me to see that she thinks so much of religion.  It should be the first consideration with all of us at all times.  But she has never been used to men like Mr. Saul.”

“Nobody can deny that he is a gentleman.”

“Yes, he is a gentleman; God forbid that I should say he was not, especially now that he is going to marry your sister.  But—­I don’t know whether you quite understand what I mean.”

“I think I do.  He isn’t quite one of our sort.”

“How on earth she can ever have brought herself to look at him in that light?”

“There’s no accounting for tastes, sir.  And, after all, as he’s to have the living, there will be nothing to regret.”

“No, nothing to regret.  I suppose he’ll be up at the other house occasionally?  I never could make anything of him when he dined at the rectory; perhaps he’ll be better there.  Perhaps, when he’s married, he’ll get into the way of drinking a glass of wine like any body else.  Dear Fanny, I hope she’ll be happy.  That’s every thing.”  In answer to this, Harry took upon himself to assure his father that Fanny would be happy; and then they changed the conversation, and discussed the alterations which they would make in reference to the preservation of pheasants.

Mr. Saul and Fanny remained long together on that occasion, and when they parted he went off about his work, not saying a word to any other person in the house, and she betook herself as fast as her feet could carry her to her own room.