But in this case report turned out to be
something very different. Mr. Frank told me he was really in
love, and said upon his honor (an absurd expression which young
chaps of his age are always using) he was determined to marry
Smith, the governess--the sweet, darling girl, as _he_ called
her; but I'm not sentimental, and _I_ call her Smith, the
governess. Well, Mr. Frank's father, being as proud as Lucifer,
said "No," as to marrying the governess, when Mr. Frank wanted
him to say "Yes." He was a man of business, was old Gatliffe, and
he took the proper business course. He sent the governess away
with a first-rate character and a spanking present, and then he,
looked about him to get something for Mr. Frank to do. While he
was looking about, Mr. Frank bolted to London after the
governess, who had nobody alive belonging to her to go to but an
aunt--her father's sister. The aunt refuses to let Mr. Frank in
without the squire's permission. Mr. Frank writes to his father,
and says he will marry the girl as soon as he is of age, or shoot
himself. Up to town comes the squire and his wife and his
daughter, and a lot of sentimentality, not in the slightest
degree material to the present statement, takes places among
them; and the upshot of it is that old Gatliffe is forced into
withdrawing the word No, and substituting the word Yes.
I don't believe he would ever have done it, though, but for one
lucky peculiarity in the case.
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