'You know why I ask them.You know that to me you are more than all the world.' She stood still for a moment after hearing this, and then without any reply walked away into the other room.She felt half ashamed of herself in that she had not rebuked him for speaking to her in that fashion after his interview with her father, and yet his words had filled her heart with delight.He had never before plainly declared his love to her,--though she had been driven by her father's questions to declare her own love to herself.She was quite sure of herself,--that the man was and would always be to her the one being whom she would prefer to all others.Her fate was in her father's hands.If he chose to make her wretched he must do so.But on one point she had quite made up her mind.She would make no concealment.To the world at large she had nothing to say on the matter.But with her father there should be no attempt on her part to keep back the truth.Were he to question her on the subject she would tell him, as far as her memory would serve her, the very words which Lopez had spoken to her this evening.She would ask nothing from him.He had already told her that the man was to be rejected, and had refused to give any other reason than his dislike to the absence of any English connection.She would not again ask even for a reason.But she would make her father understand that though she obeyed him she regarded the exercise of his authority as tyrannical and irrational.
They left the house before any of the other guests and walked round the corner together into the Square.'What a very vulgar set of people!' said Mr Wharton as soon as they were down the steps.
'Some of them were,' said Emily, making a mental reservation of her own.
'Upon my word I don't know where to make the exception.Why on earth anyone should want to know such a person as Lord Mongrober I can't understand.What does he bring into society?'
'A title.'
'But what does that do of itself? He is an insolent, bloated brute.'
'Papa, you are using strong language to-night.'
'And that Lady Eustace! Heaven and earth! Am I to be told that that creature is a lady?'
They had come to their own door, and while that was being opened, and as they went up into their own drawing-room, nothing was said, but then Emily began again.'I wonder why you go to Aunt Harriet's at all.You don't like the people?'
'I didn't like any of them today.'
'Why do you go there? You don't like Aunt Harriet herself.You don't like Uncle Dick.You don't like Mr Lopez.'
'Certainly I do not.'
'I don't know who it is you do like.'
'I like Mr Fletcher.'
'It's no use saying that to me, papa.'
'You ask me a question, and I choose to answer it.I like Arthur Fletcher, because he is a gentleman,--because he is a gentleman of the class to which I belong myself; because he works, because I know all about him, so that I can be sure of him, being quite sure that he will say to me neither awkward things nor impertinent things.He will not talk to me about driving a mail coach like that foolish baronet, nor tell me the price of all the wines like your uncle.' Nor would Ferdinand Lopez do so, thought Emily to herself.'But in all such matters, my dear, the great thing is like to like.I have spoken of a young person, merely because I wish you to understand that I can sympathize with others besides those of my own age.But to-night there was no one there at all like myself,--or, as I hope, like you.That man Roby is a chattering ass.How such a man can be useful to any government I can't conceive.Happerton was the best, but what had he to say for himself? I've always thought that there was very little wit wanted to make a fortune in the City.' In this frame of mind, Mr Wharton went off to bed, but not a word more was spoken about Ferdinand Lopez.
