Part 52 (1/2)

”But I know him to be unworthy. Even if he had come here to offer you his hand I doubt whether I could have permitted an engagement. Do you know that within the last two months he has twice offered to marry another young woman, and I doubt whether he is not at this moment engaged to her?”

”Another?” said poor Clarissa.

”Yes, and that without a pretence of affection on his part, simply because he wanted to get money from her father.”

”Are you sure, papa?” asked Clarissa, who was not prepared to believe, and did not believe this enormity on the part of the man she loved.

”I am quite sure. The father came to me to complain of him, and I had the confession from Ralph's own lips, the very day that he came here with his insulting offer to Mary Bonner.”

”Did you tell Mary?”

”No. I knew that it was unnecessary. There was no danger as to Mary.

And who do you think this girl was? The daughter of a tailor, who had made some money. It was not that he cared for her, Clary;--no more than I do! Whether he meant to marry her or not I do not know.”

”I'm sure he didn't, papa,” said Clarissa, getting up in bed.

”And will that make it better? All that he wanted was the tradesman's money, and to get that he was willing either to deceive the girl, or to sell himself to her. I don't know which would have been the baser mode of traffic. Is that the conduct of a gentleman, Clary?”

Poor Clarissa was in terrible trouble. She hardly believed the story, which seemed to tell her of a degree of villany greater than ever her imagination had depicted to her;--and yet, if it were true, she would be driven to look for means of excusing it. The story as told was indeed hardly just to Ralph, who in the course of his transactions with Mr. Neefit had almost taught himself to believe that he could love Polly very well; but it was not in this direction that Clarissa looked for an apology for such conduct. ”They say that men do all manner of things,” she said, at last.

”I can only tell you this,” said Sir Thomas very gravely, ”what men may do I will not say, but no gentleman can ever have acted after this fas.h.i.+on. He has shown himself to be a scoundrel.”

”Papa, papa; don't say that!” screamed Clarissa.

”My child, I can only tell you the truth. I know it is hard to bear.

I would save you if I could; but it is better that you should know.”

”Will he always be bad, papa?”

”Who can say, my dear? G.o.d forbid that I should be too severe upon him. But he has been so bad now that I am bound to tell you that you should drive him from your thoughts. When he told me, all smiling, that he had come down here to ask your cousin Mary to be his wife, I was almost minded to spurn him from the door. He can have no feeling himself of true attachment, and cannot know what it means in others.

He is heartless,--and unprincipled.”

”Oh, papa, spare him. It is done now.”

”And you will forget him, dearest?”

”I will try, papa. But I think that I shall die. I would rather die.

What is the good of living when n.o.body is to care for anybody, and people are so bad as that?”

”My Clarissa must not say that n.o.body cares for her. Has any person ever been false to you but he? Is not your sister true to you?”

”Yes, papa.”

”And Mary?”

”Yes, papa.” He was afraid to ask her whether he also had not been true to her? Even in that moment there arose in his mind a doubt, whether all this evil might not have been avoided, had he contented himself to live beneath the same roof with his children. He said nothing of himself, but she supplied the want. ”I know you love me, papa, and have always been good to me. I did not mean that. But I never cared for any one but him,--in that way.”

Sir Thomas, in dealing with the character of his late ward, had been somewhat too severe. It is difficult, perhaps, to say what amount of misconduct does const.i.tute a scoundrel, or justifies the critic in saying that this or that man is not a gentleman. There be those who affirm that he who owes a debt for goods which he cannot pay is no gentleman, and tradesmen when they cannot get their money are no doubt sometimes inclined to hold that opinion. But the opinion is changed when the money comes at last,--especially if it comes with interest. Ralph had never owed a s.h.i.+lling which he did not intend to pay, and had not property to cover. That borrowing of money from Mr.