And so the few days of his second sojourn³ at Saratoga passed away, not altogether satisfactorily.  It was settled that he should return to New York on Saturday night, leaving Saratoga on that evening; and as the Beckards—Hetta was already regarded quite as a Beckard—were to be back to dinner on that day, Mrs. Bell would have an opportunity of telling her wondrous⁴ tale.  It might be well that Mr. Beckard should see Aaron before his departure.

 

On that Saturday the Beckards did arrive just in time for dinner.  It may be imagined that Susan’s appetite was not very keen, nor her manner very collected.  But all this passed by unobserved in the importance attached to the various Beckard arrangements which came under discussion.  Ladies and gentlemen circumstanced as were Hetta and Mr. Beckard are perhaps a little too apt to think that their own affairs are paramount⁵.  But after dinner Susan vanished at once, and when Hetta prepared to follow her, desirous of further talk about matrimonial arrangements, her mother stopped her, and the disclosure was made.

 

“Proposed to her!” said Hetta, who perhaps thought that one marriage in a family was enough at a time.

 

“Yes, my love—and he did it, I must say, in a very honourable⁶ way, telling her not to make any answer till she had spoken to me;—now that was very nice; was it not, Phineas?”  Mrs. Bell had become very anxious that Aaron should not be voted a wolf.

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