" Thus Mrs. Flood Jones signified to Phineas Finn that she had
forgiven him the thoughtlessness of his early youth,--even though
there had been something of treachery in that thoughtlessness to her
own daughter; and showed him, also, that whatever Mary's feelings
might have been once, they were not now of a nature to trouble her.
"Of course you will marry?" said Mrs. Flood Jones.
"I should think very likely not," said Phineas, who perhaps looked
farther into the mind of the lady than the lady intended.
"Oh, do," said the lady. "Every man should marry as soon as he can,
and especially a man in your position."
When the ladies met together in the drawing-room after dinner,
it was impossible but that they should discuss Mr. Monk. There
was Mrs. Callaghan from the brewery there, and old Lady Blood, of
Bloodstone,--who on ordinary occasions would hardly admit that she
was on dining-out terms with any one in Killaloe except the bishop,
but who had found it impossible to decline to meet a Cabinet
Minister,--and there was Mrs. Stackpoole from Sixmiletown, a far-away
cousin of the Finns, who hated Lady Blood with a true provincial
hatred.
"I don't see anything particularly uncommon in him, after all," said
Lady Blood.
"I think he is very nice indeed," said Mrs.
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