Pink and White Tyranny: Chapter 23

Chapter 23

COMMON-SENSE ARGUMENTS.

Harry went straightway from the interview to call upon Lillie, and had
a conversation with her; in which he conducted himself like a
sober, discreet, and rational man. It was one of those daylight,
matter-of-fact kinds of talks, with no nonsense about them, in which
things are called by their right names. He confessed his own sins, and
took upon his own shoulders the blame that properly belonged there;
and, having thus cleared his conscience, took occasion to give Lillie
a deal of grandfatherly advice, of a very sedative tendency.

They had both been very silly, he said; and the next step to being
silly very often was to be wicked. For his part, he thought she ought
to be thankful for so good a husband; and, for his own part, he should
lose no time in trying to find a good wife, who would help him to be
a good man, and do something worth doing in the world. He had given
people occasion to say ill-natured things about her; and he was sorry
for it. But, if they stopped being imprudent, the world would in time
stop talking. He hoped, some of these days, to bring his wife down to
see her, and to make the acquaintance of her husband, whom he knew to
be a capital fellow, and one that she ought to be proud of.

Thus, by the intervention of good angels, the little paper-nautilus
bark of Lillie's fortunes was prevented from going down in the great
ugly maelstrom, on the verge of which it had been so heedlessly
sailing.

Harry was not slow in pushing the advantage of his treaty of
friendship with Rose to its utmost limits; and, being a young
gentleman of parts and proficiency, he made rapid progress.

The interview of course immediately bred the necessity for at least a
dozen more; for he had to explain this thing, and qualify that, and,
on reflection, would find by the next day that the explanation and
qualification required a still further elucidation. Rose also, after
the first conversation was over, was troubled at her own boldness, and
at the things that she in her state of excitement had said; and so
was only too glad to accord interviews and explanations as often as
sought, and, on the whole, was in the most favorable state towards her
penitent.

Hence came many calls, and many conferences with Rose in the library,
to Mrs. Van Astrachan's great satisfaction, and concerning which Mr.
Van Astrachan had many suppressed chuckles and knowing winks at Polly.

"Now, pa, don't you say a word," said Mrs. Van Astrachan.

"Oh, no, Polly! catch me! I see a great deal, but I say nothing," said
the good gentleman, with a jocular quiver of his portly person. "I
don't say any thing,--oh, no! by no manner of means."

Neither at present did Harry; neither do we.

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