Nor was this the worst of it. Had the whisking been divided equally
among ten, he might have forgiven it; but there was one specially
narrow-waisted lieutenant, who towards the end of the evening kept
Marian nearly wholly to himself. Now to a man in love, who has had
but little experience of either balls or young ladies, this is
intolerable.
He only met her twice after that before his return to Mount Pleasant,
and on the first occasion that odious soldier was not there. But a
specially devout young clergyman was present, an unmarried,
evangelical, handsome young curate fresh from England; and Marian's
piety had been so excited that she had cared for no one else. It
appeared moreover that the curate's gifts for conversion were
confined, as regarded that opportunity, to Marion's advantage. "I
will have nothing more to say to her," said Maurice to himself,
scowling. But just as he went away Marian had given him her hand,
and called him Maurice--for she pretended that they were cousins--and
had looked into his eyes and declared that she did hope that the
assembly at Spanish Town would soon be sitting again.
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