"
And this was all that his public school and University education had been
able to do for Theobald! Nevertheless for his own part he thought his
letter rather a good one, and congratulated himself in particular upon
his cleverness in inventing the story of a previous attachment, behind
which he intended to shelter himself if Christina should complain of any
lack of fervour in his behaviour to her.
I need not give Christina's answer, which of course was to accept. Much
as Theobald feared old Mr Allaby I do not think he would have wrought up
his courage to the point of actually proposing but for the fact of the
engagement being necessarily a long one, during which a dozen things
might turn up to break it off. However much he may have disapproved of
long engagements for other people, I doubt whether he had any particular
objection to them in his own case. A pair of lovers are like sunset and
sunrise: there are such things every day but we very seldom see them.
Theobald posed as the most ardent lover imaginable, but, to use the
vulgarism for the moment in fashion, it was all "side." Christina was in
love, as indeed she had been twenty times already.
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