dinner, papa took Cornelia into the library alone, and they were together
for ten minutes. She came out very pale. She had been proposed for by
Sir Twickenham Pryme, our Member for the borough. I have always been
sure that Cornelia was born for Parliament, and he will be lucky if he
wins her. We know not yet, of course, what her decision will be. The
incident is chiefly remarkable to us as a relief to what I need not
recount to you. But I wish to say one thing, dear Wilfrid. You are
gazetted to a lieutenancy, and we congratulate you: but what I have to
say is apparently much more trifling, and it is, that--will you take it
to heart?--it would do Arabella and myself infinite good if we saw a
little more of our brother, and just a little less of a very gentlemanly
organ-player phenomenon, who talks so exceedingly well. He is a very
pleasant man, and appreciates our ideas, and so forth; but it is our duty
to love our brother best, and think of him foremost, and we wish him to
come and remind us of our duty.

"At our Cornelia's request, with our concurrence, papa is silent in the
house as to the purport of the communication made by Sir T.P.

"By the way, are you at all conscious of a sound-like absurdity in a
Christian name of three syllables preceding a surname of one? Sir
Twickenham Pryme! Cornelia's pronunciation of the name first gave me the
feeling. The 'Twickenham' seems to perform a sort of educated monkey
kind of ridiculously decorous pirouette and entrechat before the 'Pryme.'
I think that Cornelia feels it also. You seem to fancy elastic limbs
bending to the measure of a solemn church-organ. Sir Timothy? But Sir
Timothy does not jump with the same grave agility as Sir Twickenham! If
she rejects him, it will be half attributable to this.

"My own brother! I expect no confidences, but a whisper warns me that