Arthur, having pressed a hand of each, and fled, Mr. Palmer burst into a loud reiterated fit of laughter, which brought the tears to his eyes; and it is probable, had any other persons been present in his dining-room, during the last few minutes, they might have laughed also, for nothing could display better acting than the anxious pantomime of Mrs. Palmer, beseeching him to restrain his sentiments, and his extraordinary difficulty in complying with her request, increasing every moment, in consequence of the perfectly unsuspicious sincerity of Arthur. At length, seeing her steal out of the room, he checked himself, to say—
"Stop a moment, Dame Palmer. What in the name of wonder could induce you, of all people in the world, to aid and assist the old woman's humbug, by preventing me from showing her up to that honest lad properly?"
"Because you could have done no good by it, and might have done great harm; it is much better, surely, that her future sons-in-law should think well of her than otherwise. Two of them know her thoroughly; and to them nothing can be said, or need be said; but the others had better remain in ignorance, beyond what is eventually necessary for them to know."
