So far, I did not feel called on to say anything to him about my own opinion, but when he proceeded, in his most aggravatingly languid manner, to suggest that the time for the marriage had better be settled next, in accordance with Sir Percival's wishes, I enjoyed the satisfaction of assailing Mr Fairlie's nerves with as strong a protest against hurrying Laura's decision as I could put into words. Sir Percival immediately assured me that he felt the force of my objection, and begged me to believe that the proposal had not been made in consequence of any interference on his part. Mr Fairlie leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, said we both of us did honour to human nature, and then repeated his suggestion as coolly as if neither Sir Percival nor I had said a word in opposition to it. It ended in my flatly declining to mention the subject to Laura, unless she first approached it of her own accord. I left the room at once after making that declaration.
Sir Percival looked seriously embarrassed and distressed, Mr Fairlie stretched out his lazy legs on his velvet footstool, and said, ‘Dear Marian! how I envy you your robust nervous system! Don't bang the door!'
On going to Laura's room I found that she had asked for me, and that Mrs Vesey had informed her that I was with Mr Fairlie. She inquired at once what I had been wanted for, and I told her all that had passed, without attempting to conceal the vexation and annoyance that I really felt. Her answer surprised and distressed me inexpressibly -- it was the very last reply that I should have expected her to make.
‘My uncle is right,' she said. ‘I have caused trouble and anxiety enough to you, and to all about me. Let me cause no more, Marian -- let Sir Percival decide.'
I remonstrated warmly, but nothing that I could say moved her.
‘I am held to my engagement,' she replied; ‘I have broken with my old life. The evil day will not come the less surely because I put it off.
No, Marian! once again my uncle is right. I have caused trouble enough and anxiety enough, and I will cause no more.'
She used to be pliability itself, but she was now inflexibly passive in her resignation -- I might almost say in her despair. Dearly as I love her, I should have been less pained if she had been violently agitated -- it was so shockingly unlike her natural character to see her cold and insensible as I saw her now.
12th. -- Sir Percival put some questions to me at breakfast about Laura, which left me no choice but to tell him what she had said.
While we were talking she herself came down and joined us. She was just as unnaturally comPosed in Sir Percival's presence as she had been in mine.
When breakfast was over he had an opportunity of saying a few words to her privately, in a recess of one of the windows. They were not more than two or three minutes together, and on their separating she left the room with Mrs Vesey, while Sir Percival came to me. He said he had entreated her to favour him by maintaining her privilege of fixing the time for the marriage at her own will and pleasure. In reply she had merely expressed her acknowledgments, and had desired him to mention what his wishes were to Miss Halcombe.
