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 'I hope, Peregrine, you don't think too much about Harriet Tristram.'

'Think of her! who? I? Think of her in what sort of a way? I think she goes uncommonly well to hounds.'

'That may be, but I should not wish to see you pin your happiness on any lady that was celebrated chiefly for going well to hounds.'

'Do you mean marry her?' and Peregrine immediately made a strong comparison in his mind between Miss Tristram and Madeline Staveley.

'Yes; that's what I did mean.'

'I wouldn't have her if she owned every fox-cover in the county. No, by Jove! I know a trick worth two of that. It's jolly enough to see them going, but as to being in love with them—in that sort of way—'

'You are quite right, my boy; quite right. It is not that that a man wants in a wife.'

'No,' said Peregrine, with a melancholy cadence in his voice, thinking of what it was that he did want. And so they sat sipping their wine. The turn which the conversation had taken had for the moment nearly put Lady Mason out of the young man's head.

'You would be very young to marry yet,' said the baronet.

'Yes, I should be young; but I don't know that there is any harm in that.'

'Quite the contrary, if a young man feels himself to be sufficiently settled. Your mother I know would be very glad that you should marry early;—and so should I, if you married well.'

What on earth could all this mean? It could not be that his grandfather knew that he was in love with Miss Staveley; and had this been known his grandfather would not have talked of Harriet Tristram. 'Oh yes; of course a fellow should marry well. I don't think much of marrying for money.'

'Nor do I, Peregrine;—I think very little of it.'

'Nor about being of very high birth.'

'Well; it would make me unhappy—very unhappy if you were to marry below your own rank.'

'What do you call my own rank?'

'I mean any girl whose father is not a gentleman, and whose mother is not a lady; and of whose education among ladies you could not feel certain.'

'I could be quite certain about her,' said Peregrine, very innocently.

'Her! what her?'

'Oh, I forgot that we were talking about nobody.'

'You don't mean Harriet Tristram?'

'No, certainly not.'