..."
"Yes; you have played with Louisa's heart."
"Are you talking of cousin Louisa?"
"I am. Haven't you looked upon yourselves as fiances since your earliest
childhood? Don't you realise that she has put all her faith and trust in
you?"
"It's you who have played with us, driven us together, not I!" answered
the son.
"Think of your old mother, think of your sisters, Frithiof. Do you want
to bring a stranger into this house which has always been our home, a
stranger who will have the right to order us about?"
"Oh! I see; Louisa is the chosen mistress!"
"There's no chosen mistress, but a mother always has a right to choose
the future wife of her son; nobody is so well fitted to undertake such
a task. Do you doubt my good faith? Can you possibly suspect me, your
mother, of a wish to injure you?" "No, no! but I--I don't love Louisa;
I like her as a sister, but...."
"Love? Nothing in all the world is so inconstant as love! It's folly
to rely on it, it passes away like a breath; but friendship, conformity
of views and habits, similar interests and a long acquaintanceship,
these are the surest guarantees of a happy marriage. Louisa is a capable
girl, domesticated and methodical, she will make your home as happy as
you could wish.
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