The doctor took the letter and read it.  It was a long, wordy, ill-written rigmarole, in which that amorous gentleman spoke with much rapture of his love and devotion for Miss Gresham; but at the same time declared, and most positively swore, that the adverse cruelty of his circumstances was such, that it would not allow him to stand up like a man at the hymeneal altar until six thousand pounds hard cash had been paid down at his banker’s.

‘It may be all right,’ said the squire; ’but in my time gentlemen were not used to write such letters as that to each other.’

The doctor shrugged his shoulders.  He did not know how far he would be justified in saying much, even to his friend the squire, in dispraise of his future son-in-law.

’I told him that he should have the money; and one would have thought that that would have been enough for him.  Well:  I suppose Augusta likes him.  I suppose she wishes the match; otherwise, I would give him such an answer to that letter as would startle him a little.’

‘What settlement is he to make?’ said Thorne.

’Oh, that’s satisfactory enough; couldn’t be more so; a thousand a year and the house at Wimbledon for her; that’s all very well.  But such a lie, you know, Thorne.  He’s rolling in money, and yet he talks of this beggarly sum as though he couldn’t possibly stir without it.’

‘If I might venture to speak my mind,’ said Thorne.

‘Well?’ said the squire, looking at him earnestly.

‘I should be inclined to say that Mr Moffat wants to cry off, himself.’

’Oh, impossible; quite impossible.  In the first place, he was so very anxious for the match.  In the next place, it is such a great thing for him.  And then, he would never dare; you see, he is dependent on the De Courcys for his seat.’

‘But suppose he loses his seat?’

’But there is not much fear of that, I think.  Scatcherd may be a very fine fellow, but I think they’ll hardly return him at Barchester.’

‘I don’t understand much about it,’ said Thorne; ’but such things do happen.’

’And you believe that this man absolutely wants to get off the match; absolutely thinks of playing such a trick as that on my daughter;—­on me?’

’I don’t say he intends to do it; but it looks to me as though he were making a door for himself, or trying to make a door:  if so, your having the money will stop him there.’

‘But, Thorne, don’t you think he loves the girl?  If I thought not—­’

The doctor was silent for a moment, and then he said, ’I am not a love-making man myself, but I think that if I were much in love with a young lady, I should not write such a letter as that to her father.’

‘By heavens!  If I thought so,’ said the squire—­’but, Thorne, we can’t judge of those fellows as one does of gentlemen; they are so used to making money, and seeing money made, that they have an eye to business in everything.’