and sisters.

He replied that he did not miss them in the least, and that he should
wish them far away if they happened to turn up now.

"But why couldn't he marry her?"

"Weren't they as good as married?"

"No, they weren't married properly."

"By a clergyman? In his opinion a clergyman was nothing but a student
who had passed his examinations, and his incantations were pure
mythology."

"That was beyond her, but she knew that something was wrong, and the
other people in the house pointed their fingers at her."

"Let them point!"

Sophy joined in the conversation. She said she knew that they were not
good enough for his relations; but she didn't mind. Let everybody keep
his own place and be content.

Anyhow, they had friends now, and lived together in harmony, which is
more than could be said of many properly constituted families. The tie
which held them together remained intact, but they were otherwise
unfettered. They continued being lovers without contracting any bad
matrimonial habits, as, for example, the habit of being rude to one
another.