and had always been in the habit of reading off her brother from infancy,
and had never known herself to be once wrong about him, she confessed she
was quite at a loss to comprehend Austin's principle. "For principle he
has," said Mrs. Doria; "he never acts without one. But what it is, I
cannot at present perceive. If he would write, and command the boy to
await his return, all would be clear. He allows us to go and fetch him,
and then leaves us all in a quandary. It must be some woman's influence.
That is the only way to account for it."

"Singular!" interjected Adrian, "what pride women have in their sex!
Well, I have to tell you, my dear aunt, that the day after to-morrow I
hand my charge over to your keeping. I can't hold him in an hour longer.
I've had to leash him with lies till my invention's exhausted. I
petition to have them put down to the chief's account, but when the
stream runs dry I can do no more. The last was, that I had heard from
him desiring me to have the South-west bedroom ready for him on Tuesday
proximate. 'So!' says my son, 'I'll wait till then,' and from the
gigantic effort he exhibited in coming to it, I doubt any human power's
getting him to wait longer."

"We must, we must detain him," said Mrs. Doria. "If we do not, I am
convinced Austin will do something rash that he will for ever repent. He
will marry that woman, Adrian. Mark my words. Now with any other young
man!... But Richard's education! that ridiculous System!... Has he no
distraction? nothing to amuse him?"

"Poor boy! I suppose he wants his own particular playfellow."

The wise youth had to bow to a reproof.