When Frank declared that Mary had a right to give him an answer, he meant that he had a right to expect one.  Mary acknowledged this right, and gave it to him.

‘Mr Gresham,’ she said.

‘Oh, Mary; Mr Gresham!’

’Yes, Mr Gresham.  It must be Mr Gresham, after that.  And, moreover, it must be Miss Thorne as well.’

‘I’ll be shot if it shall, Mary.’

’Well; I can’t say that I shall be shot if it be not so; but if it be not so, if you do not agree that it shall be so, I shall be turned out of Greshamsbury.’

‘What! you mean my mother?’ said Frank.

‘Indeed!  I mean no such thing,’ said Mary, with a flash from her eye that made Frank almost start.  ’I mean no such thing.  I mean you, not your mother.  I am not in the least afraid of Lady Arabella; but I am afraid of you.’

‘Afraid of me, Mary!’

’Miss Thorne; pray, pray, remember.  It must be Miss Thorne.  Do not turn me out of Greshamsbury.  Do not separate me from Beatrice.  It is you that will drive me out; no one else.  I could stand my ground against your mother—­I feel I could; but I cannot stand against you if you treat me otherwise than—­than—­’

’Otherwise than what?  I want to treat you as the girl I have chosen from all the world as my wife.’

’I am sorry you should so soon have found it necessary to make a choice.  But, Mr Gresham, we must not joke about this at present.  I am sure you would not willingly injure me; but if you speak to me, or of me, again in that way, you will injure me, injure me so much that I shall be forced to leave Greshamsbury, in my own defence.  I know you are too generous to drive me to that.’

And so the interview had ended.  Frank, of course, went upstairs to see if his new pocket-pistols were all ready, properly cleaned, loaded, and capped, should he find, after a few days’ experience, that prolonged existence was unendurable.

However, he managed to live through the subsequent period; doubtless with a view of preventing any appointment to his father’s guests.

CHAPTER VII

THE DOCTOR’S GARDEN

Mary had contrived to quiet her lover with considerable propriety of demeanour.  Then came on her the somewhat harder task of quieting herself.  Young ladies, on the whole, are perhaps quite as susceptible of the after feelings as young gentlemen are.  Now Frank Gresham, was handsome, amiable, by no means a fool in intellect, excellent in heart; and he was, moreover, a gentleman, being the son of Mr Gresham of Greshamsbury.  Mary had been, as it were, brought up to love him.  Had aught but good happened to him, she would have cried as for a brother.  It must not therefore be supposed that when Frank Gresham told her that he loved her, she had heard it altogether unconcerned.