Arabella by name, and Arabella went forward alone, and was engaged in conversation by Mrs. Chump.  Mr. Pole left them to make his way to Adela and Cornelia.  “Now, mind, I expect you to keep to your agreement,” he said.  Gradually they were led on to perceive that this simple-minded man had understood their recent talk of Besworth to signify a consent to the stipulation he had previously mentioned to Adela.  “Perfect simplicity is as deceiving as the depth of cunning,” Adela despairingly wrote, much to Wilfrid’s amusement.

A third letter followed.  It was of another tenor, and ran thus, in Adela’s handwriting: 

“My Darling Wilfrid,

“We have always known that some peculiar assistance would never be wanting in our extremity—­aid, or comfort, or whatever you please to call it.  At all events, something to show we are not neglected.  That old notion of ours must be true.  I shall say nothing of our sufferings in the house.  They continue.  Yesterday, papa came from town, looking important.  He had up some of his best wine for dinner.  All through the service his eyes were sparkling on Cornelia.  I spare you a family picture, while there is this huge blot on it.  Naughty brother!  But, listen! your place is here, for many reasons, as you will be quick enough to see.  After dinner, papa took Cornelia into the library alone, and they were together for ten minutes.  She came out very pale.  She had been proposed for by Sir Twickenham Pryme, our Member for the borough.  I have always been sure that Cornelia was born for Parliament, and he will be lucky if he wins her.  We know not yet, of course, what her decision will be.  The incident is chiefly remarkable to us as a relief to what I need not recount to you.  But I wish to say one thing, dear Wilfrid.  You are gazetted to a lieutenancy, and we congratulate you:  but what I have to say is apparently much more trifling, and it is, that—­will you take it to heart?—­it would do Arabella and myself infinite good if we saw a little more of our brother, and just a little less of a very gentlemanly organ-player phenomenon, who talks so exceedingly well.  He is a very pleasant man, and appreciates our ideas, and so forth; but it is our duty to love our brother best, and think of him foremost, and we wish him to come and remind us of our duty.

“At our Cornelia’s request, with our concurrence, papa is silent in the house as to the purport of the communication made by Sir T.P.

“By the way, are you at all conscious of a sound-like absurdity in a Christian name of three syllables preceding a surname of one?  Sir Twickenham Pryme!  Cornelia’s pronunciation of the name first gave me the feeling.  The ‘Twickenham’ seems to perform a sort of educated monkey kind of ridiculously decorous pirouette and entrechat before the ‘Pryme.’  I think that Cornelia feels it also.  You seem to fancy elastic limbs bending to the measure of a solemn church-organ.  Sir Timothy?  But Sir Timothy does not jump with the same grave agility as Sir Twickenham!  If she rejects him, it will be half attributable to this.