As to the young man, the readiness of his action is less
marvellous than hers. He means to be master, and, by the very nature
of the joint life they propose to lead, must take her to his sphere
of life, not bind himself to hers. If he worked before he will work
still. If he was idle before he will be idle still; and he probably
does in some sort make a calculation and strike a balance between his
means and the proposed additional burden of a wife and children. But
she, knowing nothing, takes a monstrous leap in the dark, in which
everything is to be changed, and in which everything is trusted to
chance. Miss Palliser, however, differing in this from the majority
of her friends and acquaintances, frightened, perhaps by those
representations of her sister to which she would not altogether
yield, had paused, and was still pausing. "Where should we go and
live if I did marry him?" she said to Lady Chiltern.
"I suppose he has an opinion of his own on that subject?"
"Not in the least, I should think."
"Has he never said anything about it?"
"Oh dear no.
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