Pagina 217 di 817

"Believe me, my dear Miss Elizabeth, that your modesty, so far

from doing you any disservice, rather adds to your other

perfections. You would have been less amiable in my eyes had

there not been this little unwillingness; but allow me to assure

you that I have your respected mother's permission for this

address. You can hardly doubt the purport of my discourse,

however your natural delicacy may lead you to dissemble; my

attentions have been too marked to be mistaken. Almost as soon as

I entered the house I singled you out as the companion of my

future life. But before I am run away with by my feelings on this

subject, perhaps it will be advisable for me to state my reasons

for marrying--and, moreover, for coming into Hertfordshire with

the design of selecting a wife, as I certainly did."