"You must do nothing at my command, Mr. de Saussure," I said.
"I have known you only as mamma's and my brother's friend; - I
never thought you had any other feeling; and I had no other
towards you."
"Mrs. Randolph is my friend," he said eagerly. "She does me
the honour to wish well to my suit. She looks at it, not with
my eyes, but with the eyes of prudence; and she sees the
advantages that such an arrangement would secure. I believe
she looks at it with patriotic eyes too. You know my estates
are nearly adjoining to yours. I may say too, that our
families are worthy one of another. But there, I am very
conscious, my worthiness ends. I am not personally deserving
of your regard - I can only promise under your guidance to
become so."
A light broke upon me.
"Mr. De Saussure" - I began; but he said hastily, "Let us go
on - they are coming near us;" and I took his offered arm
again, not wishing more than he to have spectators or hearers
of our talk; and now that the talk was begun, I wished to end
it.
"Mr. de Saussure," I said, "you are under a serious mistake.
You speak of my estates; I must inform you that I shall never,
under any circumstances, be an heiress. Whoever marries me -
if I ever marry - will marry a poor girl."
"Pardon me -" he began.
"Yes," said I interrupting him; - "I know of what I speak."
"What can you mean, Miss Randolph?"
"I assure you, I mean exactly what I say. Pray take it so."
"But I do not understand you."
"Understand this, - that I shall be a penniless woman; or
something very like it. I am making no jest. I am no heiress -
as people think."
"But you confound me, Miss Randolph," he said, looking both
curious and incredulous. "May I ask, what can be the
explanation of your words? I know your Magnolia property - and
it is, I assure you, a very noble one, and unencumbered.
Nothing can hinder you from inheriting it - at some, we hope,
of course, very distant day."
"Nevertheless," I said, "if I live to see that day, I shall be
very poor, Mr. De Saussure."
"You will condescend to explain so extraordinary a statement?"
"Is not my word sufficient?"
"Pardon me, a thousand times; but you must see that I am in a
difficulty. Against your word I have the word of two others -
your mother and your brother, who both assure me of the
contrary. May it not be, that they know best?"
"No, Mr. De Saussure; for the fact depends on something out of
their knowledge."
"It is out of my knowledge too," he said.