The first step towards it would be her
marriage with Theobald. In spite, however, of these flights of religious
romanticism, Christina was a good-tempered kindly-natured girl enough,
who, if she had married a sensible layman--we will say a
hotel-keeper--would have developed into a good landlady and been
deservedly popular with her guests.
Such was Theobald's engaged life. Many a little present passed between
the pair, and many a small surprise did they prepare pleasantly for one
another. They never quarrelled, and neither of them ever flirted with
anyone else. Mrs Allaby and his future sisters-in-law idolised Theobald
in spite of its being impossible to get another deacon to come and be
played for as long as Theobald was able to help Mr Allaby, which now of
course he did free gratis and for nothing; two of the sisters, however,
did manage to find husbands before Christina was actually married, and on
each occasion Theobald played the part of decoy elephant. In the end
only two out of the seven daughters remained single.
After three or four years, old Mr Pontifex became accustomed to his son's
engagement and looked upon it as among the things which had now a
prescriptive right to toleration.
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