"
"If you are not in love, my dear young man," said the Cavaliere, with
his hand on his heart and an apologetic smile, "so much the better. But
let me entreat you, as an affectionate friend, to keep a watch on your
emotions. You are young, you are handsome, you have a brilliant genius
and a generous heart, but--I may say it almost with authority--Christina
is not for you!"
Whether Roderick was in love or not, he was nettled by what apparently
seemed to him an obtrusive negation of an inspiring possibility. "You
speak as if she had made her choice!" he cried. "Without pretending to
confidential information on the subject, I am sure she has not."
"No, but she must make it soon," said the Cavaliere. And raising his
forefinger, he laid it against his under lip. "She must choose a name
and a fortune--and she will!"
"She will do exactly as her inclination prompts! She will marry the man
who pleases her, if he has n't a dollar! I know her better than you."
The Cavaliere turned a little paler than usual, and smiled more
urbanely. "No, no, my dear young man, you do not know her better than
I.
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