"Wait here a minute or two. I am going to look out an engraving which
Fred is tall enough to hang for me. I shall be back in a few minutes."
And then he went out. Nevertheless, the first word Fred said to Mary
was--
"It is of no use, whatever I do, Mary. You are sure to marry
Farebrother at last." There was some rage in his tone.
"What do you mean, Fred?" Mary exclaimed indignantly, blushing deeply,
and surprised out of all her readiness in reply.
"It is impossible that you should not see it all clearly enough--you
who see everything."
"I only see that you are behaving very ill, Fred, in speaking so of Mr.
Farebrother after he has pleaded your cause in every way. How can you
have taken up such an idea?"
Fred was rather deep, in spite of his irritation. If Mary had really
been unsuspicious, there was no good in telling her what Mrs. Garth had
said.
"It follows as a matter of course," he replied. "When you are
continually seeing a man who beats me in everything, and whom you set
up above everybody, I can have no fair chance."
"You are very ungrateful, Fred," said Mary. "I wish I had never told
Mr. Farebrother that I cared for you in the least."
"No, I am not ungrateful; I should be the happiest fellow in the world
if it were not for this. I told your father everything, and he was
very kind; he treated me as if I were his son. I could go at the work
with a will, writing and everything, if it were not for this."
"For this? for what?" said Mary, imagining now that something specific
must have been said or done.
"This dreadful certainty that I shall be bowled out by Farebrother."
Mary was appeased by her inclination to laugh.
"Fred," she said, peeping round to catch his eyes, which were sulkily
turned away from her, "you are too delightfully ridiculous. If you
were not such a charming simpleton, what a temptation this would be to
play the wicked coquette, and let you suppose that somebody besides you
has made love to me."
"Do you really like me best, Mary?" said Fred, turning eyes full of
affection on her, and trying to take her hand.
"I don't like you at all at this moment," said Mary, retreating, and
putting her hands behind her. "I only said that no mortal ever made
love to me besides you. And that is no argument that a very wise man
ever will," she ended, merrily.
"I wish you would tell me that you could not possibly ever think of
him," said Fred.