170 THE LEGEND OF THE ABBEY TOWER. 



Stopped her, as she curtsied to return, by asking " why she blushed 

 so deeply on seeing Mr. Baldwin ? ^* " The oddest thing in the 

 world," said she, addressing the baronet : " Mary and my cousin 

 seem to have a kind of freemasonry in operation between them ; 

 only they should learn to withhold their blushes and maintain their 

 self possession when they accidentally meet.'' 



Sir Baldwin stared, as if an open-mouthed crocodile were before 

 him instead of a pretty shrinking girl. An attorney s daughter 

 would have been enough to try his humility ; but a gravedigger*s 

 was beyond bearing, or, at least, had been, if he could have believed 

 it. His honour, however, was perhaps comforted in thinking that 

 the intentions of his son included no idea of marriage. It was, 

 possibly, a piece of mere youthful gallantry, that might lead, at the 

 worst, to the seduction of a poor girl, not to the disgrace of a rich 

 and ancient family. He therefore, upon second thoughts, suspen- 

 ded the extremity of his wrath ; bade Mary " be a good girl and not 

 listen to the tales of idle young men : that as to his son, he only 

 hoped he had not been playing with her feelings, and should cer- 

 tainly inquire into the matter as soon as he came home." In fact 

 the baronet saw, by the poor girFs confusion, there was something 

 between them ; though, indeed, without such an index, he would 

 soon have been made acquainted with it through the medium of the 

 sagacious Matilda. He was sorely enraged at her account of what 

 had transpired during their walk, and waited impatiently for his 

 son's return. Agreeably to custom, Baldwin was punctual at the 

 dinner hour : nor was a more sullen trio ever brought together. 

 The baronet restrained himself during the presence of the servants, 

 and there was an interchange of icy civilities between Baldwin and 

 his cousin. Immediately on the removal of the cloth, the lady 

 retired, and the momentous conference between father and son pro- 

 ceeded. 



The conduct of the argument exhibited, no doubt, much violence 

 on the father's part, and some cool effrontery on the part of the son. 

 Baldwin determined he would not marry his cousin, and the baronet 

 swore he should marry no one else. The father then tried his force 

 on sentimental grounds, and dilated upon the subject of ruining the 

 peace of humble families, alluding at the same time to what Matilda 

 and himself had observed during the morning. Baldwin's emotion 

 on hearing Mary's name was scarcely less than the latter had herself 

 exhibited when cautioned by the baronet to beware of his son. His 

 father, observing this, doubled the force of his philippic against 

 seduction, but grew ten times more furious when Baldwin earnestly 



