was convinced that she was as good, gentle, and sensible as she was handsome, accomplished, and clever, he began to think it time to relieve her from the labour she had fulfilled so much to his satisfaction, and he was meditating on the most correct and dignified manner of making her aware of his generous intentions, when a letter from Quebec, addressed to Helen, arrived at the post-office (which Mr. Hubbs condescended to keep). This letter showed that she had friends still who had not forgotten her, and reminding him of the possibility of losing her if he delayed too long, brought him at once to the point.
So one evening, just as Helen had dismissed her classes, and was watching them as they filed out through the door, Mr. Hubbs entered and laid a letter on the desk before her.
“There is a letter for you, Miss Lennox—a paid letter from Quebec—but if you are not in a very great hurry to read it, perhaps you will favour me first with a few minutes’ conversation.”
“Certainly,” said Helen.
“It is not about the school, Miss Lennox” (a little pause to mark the importance of the matter); “it is about something very different—something of very great consequence to me—and if I could flatter myself that you would show a regard for my wishes on this subject, as you have so often done about things of less importance, I should think myself a very happy man. The fact is, Miss Lennox, I admire and esteem you so much that the strongest wish and hope of my heart is to make you my wife.”
Helen looked at him in blank amazement; she could hardly believe that she had heard rightly.
“I admired you the first time I saw you,” continued Mr. Hubbs, “but now that I know you, I see that your beauty is the least of your perfections. I have watched you well ever since you came to this school, and I defy any woman’s temper, prudence, and judgment to be more tried than yours, yet I never saw them fail. I am well aware that your disposition is calculated to make any man happy, and I hope you'll believe me when I tell you that I know how to value it. As for myself, I will only say that if every reasonable indulgence a man can bestow upon a woman can make you happy, it will be my greatest pleasure to bestow them on you.”
“I am very much obliged to you,” said Helen, hardly knowing what to say, so great was her surprise and confusion, “but indeed it is quite impossible.”
Mr. Hubbs drew himself up.
“Impossible! What do you mean? Miss Lennox, I do assure you, on the word of a gentleman, I am perfectly serious.”
“Oh! I do not doubt your sincerity, Mr. Hubbs, but I am very sorry you should have thought of such a thing, for I cannot accept your offer.”
“You cannot accept my offer! Are you in. earnest, Miss Lennox? I know young ladies sometimes say No when they mean Yes, just for the pleasure of being pressed, but I thought you were above such affectations.”
“You thought right, Mr. Hubbs. What I say I mean. I cannot marry you.”
She had now recovered her self-possession, and her manners were too firm and collected to permit any doubt of her sincerity.
“And, pray, what is your objection to me, Miss Lennox, that you can so coolly refuse what I must take the liberty of calling a good offer? Do you dislike my person or manner? Am I ugly, or a fool, in your opinion?”
“By no means, Mr. Hubbs; I believe you to have excellent sense, and that will tell you that your marriage with a woman who so plainly shows she does not wish to be your wife would not be for your happiness.”
“But why should you not wish it, Miss Lennox? If you will persist in refusing me, you must have some strong reason for doing so, and if I can find it out I might be able to remove it. Perhaps you are not aware of the large amount of property I possess? I call myself rich, Miss Lennox—I would take pleasure in spending my money without stint upon you.”
“Riches would not influence me, Mr. Hubbs.”
“Do you object to my position? I thought you were too reasonable to nourish any foolish aristocratic notions, but if you have such prejudices I can gratify them. If you dislike the store, I’ll give it up to-morrow; its profits are not of much importance to me now, and besides that, I intend very shortly to set up for a seat in parliament, and afterwards for a place in the legislative council, and I think you know me well enough to believe me when I tell you I shall succeed. I seldom try for anything without a certainty of success. Now, what do you say?”
It was with great difficulty Helen kept herself from laughing, but she did so, and said gravely:
“Would you marry a woman who would accept you because you were a member of parliament? I think you ought to despise her heartily.”
“I value station and position myself, Miss Lennox; everyone who knows the world does. But I wish I could understand what is the cause of your dislike to me, for when I consider your present circumstances, and how much better off you would be in every respect as my wife, it seems to me there must be some very peculiar reasons to make you reject me; little as your philosophy may think of the world’s opinion, or of rank and station, I suppose you will not tell me that it is from choice you place yourself in the humble position of a common school teacher, with thirty pounds a-year.”
“No, it is not from choice, but still I would choose it, ten thousand times over, before I would marry for money, for rank, for a more comfortable or higher position. That I can be a school-teacher you know, but I would starve before I could marry anyone that I did not love with my whole heart.”
“Love!” exclaimed Mr. Hubbs, in high indignation; “you would marry for love? You read romances then, you have learned their nonsensical notions, and after all, you have no more sense than other girls. No doubt a woman should esteem the man she marries, but love ought only to come after. Marriages based on reason and
