"My dear child," he said, with positive alarm,
"your remarks are nothing short of Revolutionary. You must remember
that since then circumstances have altered. At that time, Mr.
Waring was a painter--"
"He's a painter still, I believe," Elma put in, parenthetically.
"The acquisition of property or county rank doesn't seem to have
had the very slightest effect one way or the other upon his drawing
or his colouring."
Her father disdained to take notice of such flippant remarks. "At
that time," he repeated solemnly, "Mr. Waring was a painter, a mere
ordinary painter; we know him now to be the heir and representative
of a great County Family. If he were to ask you to-day--"
"But he did ask me a long time ago, you know, papa," Elma put
in demurely. "And at that time, you remember, you objected to the
match; so of course, as in duty bound, I at once refused him."
"And what did your father say to that, Elma?" Cyril asked, with a
smile, as she narrated the whole circumstances to him some hours
later.
"Oh, he only said, 'But he'll ask you again now, you may be sure,
my child.' And I replied very gravely, I didn't think you would.
And do you know, Cyril, I really don't think you will, either.
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