'
'My dear father! I know all the Perrys by heart. Mrs Jonathan is not
likely to have left me ignorant of their antiquity. But, pray, do you
want to get rid of me, that you force me upon poor Rowland, or him upon
me, whichever it may be?'
'Of course not, my dear. Only I am naturally anxious to see you settled.
And if you really like him--'
'But I am settled, and I do not like him; that is to say, I like him
well enough, fifty times better than I used to like him, but I have not
the most remote intention of marrying him. And now, I should like to
know what particular reason Lady Mary Nugent had for putting this absurd
notion into your head. There must be something, my dear papa, under all
this sudden anxiety to get me married. You used rather to rejoice when I
declined settling Glanyravon on a suitor.'
'Yes, my dear--but--you see--it is not quite certain that Glanyravon--I
mean that you--I mean that I--in short--the fact is--you are so
impetuous, Freda.'
'What can my impetuosity have to do with it?'
Freda saw that her father was more than usually nervous and fidgety, and
became alarmed lest there should be some sudden money difficulty, as any
threat, however slight, of debt or involvement always made him ill.
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