PHILOSOPHIC MATRIMONY.

Waikato Times, Volume VI, Issue 326, 16 June 1874, Page 3

PHILOSOPHIC MATRIMONY.

IN TWO CHUVTEHS. — CHAPTER I. ' I SEE,' said Miss Favorshara, the aunt; 'that is why Mr Henry Collinson took me down to supper, and expounded his views, instead of getting me any plovers' eggs.' 'They are very nice, are they not?' said Miss Lucy Faversham, the neice. ' Yes, they are ; though perhaps the price adds to their flavour.' ' The price of his views, aunt ?' 4 No ; of the eggs ; Ido not attach much value to the other thiug9.' ' But Ido , aunt ; if lam to marry him- ' I daresay you do, dear ; and of course they may be genuine for once ; but men always utter most beautiful sentitnentc while in a state of probation.' Lucy had one of those bits of tea in her teacup which are usually called ' strangers.' and she fished for it earnestly as she replied : ' I don't think he is hypocritical. 1 ' No more do 1/ rejoined the elder lady ; ' few of them are. They are simply ignorant. When a young man falls in love with a young woman, he is apt to think her an angel ; and T do not call sentiments uttered while under that hallucination genuine, because they have no substantial basis. You have got a fine Grecian nose, dear, though I should not praise it, as it is exactly like mine ; and a very pretty mouth ; and a delicate complexion, which, as well as your hair, I may safely command ; but you have no wings, and when he finds that out, he may lapse into conventional views.' 'I suppose there mast always be a risk,' said the girl with a sigh. ' Good ; there is common-sense in that remark, and lam silenced. For the man is probably eligible enough, if you must marry some one, and that seems to be a mysterious necessity with most girls. However, I suppose he will be coming here to appraise himself, and then we shall be able to form a decided opinion.' ' I do think, aunt,' said Lucy, half laughing, half vexed, that you never had a romantic feeling in all your life !' 'That is where you are wrong, my dear,' replied Miss Faversham ; 'it was an overdose of the article, and not a lack of it, which kept me single, since a romantic desire for independence gave me a distaste for submitting my will to that of any fellow-creature, however estimable.' ' But Henry does not wish me to submit my will ; he goes further than you do in the assertion of woman's independence.' The conversation, which took place in a Westbourne drawing-room, during afternoon tea, was interrupted by a knock and a ring, and the entrance of the topic. He hoped they were not fatigued by the dissipation of the night before, and was otherwise commonplace> and would take a cup of tea, which he probably liked, as Lucy mixed it for him. When he had drunk it, she slipped out of the room, whereupon Henry Collinson came to the point at once. ' Miss Lucy Faversham being an orphan, T come to you, as her nearest relative, to ask your consent, to our marriage. I have got" eight hundred a year ' 'Land?' 'No; consols.' 'Oh ! better, perhaps.' ' And if I outlive a childless relative of seventy, I shall come into a lump sam of twenty or thirty thousand more. Am I well enough off ? ' ' Yes ; we have no right to expect more. Lucy is no heiress ; she will have five thousand pounds, tied up to her, when she marries, and that is all. The greater pa.'t of my income dies with me ' Henry Collinson bowed his head, and continued : ' I appeal to your approval of my suit with some little confidence, because my views on certain subjects are rather advanced, and, if I have been correctly informed, such as you would approve.' ' Indeed ! Are my opinions made the theme of conversation, then ?' ' Oh, Ido not mean to say that ; bat I have got the impression, I cannot tell how, exactly, that you are an advocate of Woman's Rights. For my part, I loathe the injustice which makes any difference between the sexes. My wife, at any rate, shall never be subjected to petty tyranny of any kind ; I should no more presume to dictate to her than to any male friend. ' Why then, if it is true that a woman likes to have her own way above all other blessings, Lucy ought to be happy. But I have no particular theories that I know of, and rumour seems to have provided me with a Strong Mind on very slight provocation. I rather wish — excuse me, lam so old and you are so young, that I speak freely — I rather wish that you had a profession.' ' I have, Miss Faversham ; philanthropy is my profession. My desire is to get into parliament.' ' Parliament ! I thought that required a — well, a very great deal of money.' 'Oh, but all that will be changed directly. I expect to meet with many rebuffs, but feel confident of succeeding at last, and when I am a member, I shall devote myself entirely to the redressing of woman.' 1 1 see ; pants and so forth. Bufc I hope you will not persuade Lucy to adopt the new style until it u pretty general.' ' You misunderstand me; the redressing of woman's wrongs I should have said. Her costume is of minor importance.' 'Is it? Wait a bit,' said Miss Faversham, laughing. c Well, so you are going to be our champion, are you ? Old maids like myself will have votes, eh ? ' 'And married women too, rejoined Collinson, with enthusiasm. Dear me, what a number of separations there will be after a general election ! And we are to be lawyers, and parsons, and civil engineers, as well as doctors ?' ' Every profession ought to be open to both sexes equally.' ' Then you will make us serve on juries, I suppose, and do vestry business ; be churchwardens, and so forth ? lam sure that my sex ought to be eternally grateful to you, and I am sorry to think that at my age I can hardly hope to benefit by such beneficent legislation.' Mr Henry Collinson had many good qualities, but a sense of humour was not one of them. He took Miss Faversham literally, and consoled her with the reflection that she was not much past her prime, and that the female millenium was actually dawning. But though he did not understand that he was quizzed, he knew that he was accepted, and being invited to dinner that \ery evening, he went away supremely happy.