was to deny your marriage to the lady. His business,
in the interests of his niece, was to assert
your marriage to the lady. To the unutterable
disgust of the two women, we joined issue, in the
most friendly manner, on the spot. ’Charmed
to have the pleasure of meeting you, Captain Newenden.’—’Delighted
to have the honor of making your acquaintance, Sir
Patrick.’—’I think we can settle
this in two minutes?’—’My own
idea perfectly expressed.’—’State
your position, Captain.’—’With
the greatest pleasure. Here is my niece, Mrs.
Glenarm, engaged to marry Mr. Geoffrey Delamayn.
All very well, but there happens to be an obstacle—in
the shape of a lady. Do I put it plainly?’—’You
put it admirably, Captain; but for the loss to the
British navy, you ought to have been a lawyer.
Pray, go on.’—’You are too
good, Sir Patrick. I resume. Mr. Delamayn
asserts that this person in the back-ground has no
claim on him, and backs his assertion by declaring
that she is married already to Mr. Arnold Brinkworth.
Lady Lundie and my niece assure me, on evidence which
satisfies them, that the assertion is true.
The evidence does not satisfy me. ’I hope,
Sir Patrick, I don’t strike you as being an
excessively obstinate man?’—’My
dear Sir, you impress me with the highest opinion of
your capacity for sifting human testimony! May
I ask, next, what course you mean to take?’—’The
very thing I was going to mention, Sir Patrick!
This is my course. I refuse to sanction my niece’s
engagement to Mr. Delamayn, until Mr. Delamayn has
actually proved his statement by appeal to witnesses
of the lady’s marriage. He refers me to
two witnesses; but declines acting at once in the
matter for himself, on the ground that he is in training
for a foot-race. I admit that that is an obstacle,
and consent to arrange for bringing the two witnesses
to London myself. By this post I have written
to my lawyers in Perth to look the witnesses up; to
offer them the necessary terms (at Mr. Delamayn’s
expense) for the use of their time; and to produce
them by the end of the week. The footrace is
on Thursday next. Mr. Delamayn will be able to
attend after that, and establish his own assertion
by his own witnesses. What do you say, Sir Patrick,
to Saturday next (with Lady Lundie’s permission)
in this room?’—There is the substance
of the captain’s statement. He is as old
as I am and is dressed to look like thirty; but a very
pleasant fellow for all that. I struck my sister-in-law
dumb by accepting the proposal without a moment’s
hesitation. Mrs. Glenarm and Lady Lundie looked
at each other in mute amazement. Here was a difference
about which two women would have mortally quarreled;
and here were two men settling it in the friendliest
possible manner. I wish you had seen Lady Lundie’s
face, when I declared myself deeply indebted to Captain
Newenden for rendering any prolonged interview with
her ladyship quite unnecessary. ‘Thanks
to the captain,’ I said to her, in the most cordial