"
"And, I suppose, Mrs. Goodwin, their intimacy--perhaps I may say
attachment--has the sanction of their respective families?"
"God bless you, sir, to be sure it has--are they not distantly related?"
"That, indeed, is a very usual proceeding among families," observed
Woodward; "the boy and girl are thrown together, and desired to look
upon each other as destined to become husband and wife; they accordingly
do so, fall in love, are married, and soon find themselves--miserable;
in fact, these matches seldom turn out well."
"But there is no risk of that here," replied Alice.
"I sincerely hope not, Miss Goodwin. In your case, unless the husband
was a fool, or a madman, or a villain, there must be happiness. Of
course you will be happy with him; need I say," and here he sighed,
"that he at least ought to be so with you?"
"Upon my word, Mr. Woodward," replied Alice, smiling, "you are a much
cleverer man than I presume your own modesty ever permitted you to
suspect."
"I don't understand you," he replied, with a look of embarrassment.
"Why," she proceeded, "here have you, in a few minutes, made up a match
between two persons who never were intended to be married at all; you
have got the sanction of two families to a union which neither of
them even for a moment contemplated.
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