It is not to be supposed that the thriving lover actually spoke to himself in such language as that or that he confessed to himself that Clara Amedroz was an evil to him rather than a blessing.  But his feelings were already so far tending in that direction, that he was by no means disposed to make any further promise, or to engage himself in closer connexion with matrimony by the mention of any special day.  Clara, finding that her companion would not talk without encouragement from her, had to begin again, and asked all those natural questions about his family, his brother, his sister, his home habits, and the old house in Yorkshire, the answers to which must be so full of interest to her.  But even on these subjects he was dry, and in-disposed to answer with the full copiousness of free communication which she desired.  And at last there came a question and an answer a word or two on one side, and then a word or two on the other, from which Clara got a wound which was very sore to her.

‘I have always pictured to myself,’ she said ’your mother as a woman who has been very handsome.’

‘She is still a handsome woman, though she is over sixty.’

‘Tall, I suppose?’

’Yes, tall, and with something of of what shall I say dignity, about her.’

‘She is not grand, I hope?’

‘I don’t know what you call grand.’

’Not grand in a bad sense I’m sure she is not that.  But there are some ladies who seem to stand so high above the level of ordinary females as to make us who are ordinary quite afraid of them.’

‘My mother is certainly not ordinary,’ said Captain Aylmer.

‘And I am,’ said Clara, laughing.  ’I wonder what she’ll say to me or, rather, what she will think of me.’  Then there was a moment’s silence, after which Clara, still laughing, went on.  ’I see, Fred, that you have not a word of encouragement to give me about your mother.’

‘She is rather particular,’ said Captain Aylmer.

Then Clara drew herself up, and ceased to laugh.  She had called herself ordinary with that half- insincere depreciation of self which is common to all of us when we speak of our own attributes, but which we by no means intend that they who hear us shall accept as strictly true, or shall re-echo as their own approved opinions.  But in this instance Captain Aylmer, though he had not quite done that, had done almost as bad.

‘Then I suppose I had better keep out of her way,’ said Clara, by no means laughing as she spoke.

‘Of course when we are married you must go and see her.’

’You do not, at any rate, promise me a very agreeable visit, Fred. But I dare say I shall survive it.  After all, it is you that I am to marry, and not your mother; and as long as you are not majestic to me, I need not care for her majesty.’

‘I don’t know what you mean by majesty.’

‘You must confess that you speak of her as of something very terrible.’