The mother now came out, and the following conversation took place:
"What is Minna doing?" "She is weeping." "Silly child! what good
can that do?" "None, certainly; but it is so soon to bestow her
hand on another. O husband, you are too harsh to your poor child."
"No, wife; you view things in a wrong light. When she finds herself
the wife of a wealthy and honourable man, her tears will soon cease;
she will waken out of a dream, as it were, happy and grateful to
Heaven and to her parents, as you will see." "Heaven grant it may
be so!" replied the wife. "She has, indeed, now considerable
property; but after the noise occasioned by her unlucky affair with
that adventurer, do you imagine that she is likely soon to meet with
so advantageous a match as Mr. Rascal? Do you know the extent of
Mr. Rascal's influence and wealth? Why, he has purchased with ready
money, in this country, six millions of landed property, free from
all encumbrances. I have had all the documents in my hands. It was
he who outbid me everywhere when I was about to make a desirable
purchase; and, besides, he has bills on Mr. Thomas John's house to
the amount of three millions and a half." "He must have been a
prodigious thief!" "How foolishly you talk! he wisely saved where
others squandered their property." "A mere livery-servant!"
"Nonsense! he has at all events an unexceptionable shadow." "True,
but . . . "

While this conversation was passing, the grey-coated man looked at
me with a satirical smile.

The door opened, and Minna entered, leaning on the arm of her female
attendant, silent tears flowing down her fair but pallid face. She
seated herself in the chair which had been placed for her under the