Flood Jones, and
was indeed known generally to all Killaloe. That other secret of his,
which had reference to the probability of his being obliged to throw
up his office, was known only to Mary herself. He thought that he had
done all that honour required of him in telling her of his position
before he had proposed;--so that she might on that ground refuse
him if she were so minded. And yet he had known very well that such
prudence on her part was not to be expected. If she loved him, of
course she would say so when she was asked. And he had known that
she loved him. "There may be delay, Mary," he said to her as he was
going; "nay, there must be delay, if I am obliged to resign."
"I do not care a straw for delay if you will be true to me," she
said.
"Do you doubt my truth, dearest?"
"Not in the least. I will swear by it as the one thing that is truest
in the world."
"You may, dearest. And if this should come to pass I must go to work
and put my shoulder to the wheel, and earn an income for you by my
old profession before I can make you my wife. With such a motive
before me I know that I shall earn an income." And thus they parted.
Mary, though of course she would have preferred that her future
husband should remain in his high office, that he should be a member
of Parliament and an Under-Secretary of State, admitted no doubt
into her mind to disturb her happiness; and Phineas, though he had
many misgivings as to the prudence of what he had done, was not the
less strong in his resolution of constancy and endurance.
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