Page:The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (emended first edition), Volume 1.djvu/296

284 It was not so, however, for I met him again next morning. He came to call upon my uncle, apologizing for not having done so before, by saying he was only lately returned from the continent, and had not heard, till the previous night, of my uncle's arrival in town; and after that, I often met him; sometimes in public, sometimes at home; for he was very assiduous in paying his respects to his old friend, who did not, however, consider himself greatly obliged by the attention.

"I wonder what the deuce the lad means becoming so often," he would say,—"can you tell, Helen?—Hey? He wants none o'my company, nor I his—that's certain."

"I wish you'd tell him so, then," said my aunt.

"Why, what for? If I don't want him, some body does mayhap (winking at me). Besides, he's a pretty tidy fortune, Peggy, you know—not such a catch as Wilmot, but then Helen won't hear of that match; for, somehow, these old chaps don't go down with the girls—with all