Page:The principal girl (IA principalgirl00snai).pdf/192

 The young man concurred with Grandmamma, more explicitly perhaps than he ought to have done.

"And then there is the question of your vocation, Mr. Shelmerdine. You have none at present, I understand."

"I'm goin' to see about Parliament at once, ma'am."

Grandmamma was bound to admit that the State of Things was not wholly satisfactory to her, but she had had a good nap, and Jupiter was in the First House, and it would really do no harm to Mary to retire from Pantomime and marry a nice young man—which this young man appeared to be, in spite of his mother. Moreover, Grandmamma, being an old lady of spirit, was not altogether averse from teaching some people a lesson. So if she didn't say Yes with any degree of enthusiasm, she didn't say No with any measure of conviction. She belonged to a bygone age which looked at things rather differently from the present one; but if young people wanted very much to marry, old people should not interfere more than was really necessary. All of which goes to show that when Grandmamma had had a good nap and Jupiter was in the First House, she could be as wise and broad-minded as any other old lady.

Still, Grandmamma was afraid that things had altered strangely since her time; but this was a nice young man, in spite of his unfilial attitude; and if a girl really