a little to hear the law laid down in this way; but in
his honour and his love of truth, he freely, though silently, admits the justice
of the ironmaster's proposition.
    »Pardon me for saying what is so obvious, but I wouldn't have it hastily
supposed,« with the least turn of his eyes towards Sir Leicester, »that I am
ashamed of my mother's position here, or wanting in all just respect for Chesney
Wold and the family. I certainly may have desired - I certainly have desired,
Lady Dedlock - that my mother should retire after so many years, and end her
days with me. But, as I have found that to sever this strong bond would be to
break her heart, I have long abandoned that idea.«
    Sir Leicester very magnificent again, at the notion of Mrs. Rouncewell being
spirited off from her natural home, to end her days with an ironmaster.
    »I have been,« proceeds the visitor, in a modest clear way, »an apprentice,
and a workman. I have lived on workman's wages, years and years, and beyond a
certain point have had to educate myself. My wife was a foreman's daughter, and
plainly brought up. We have three daughters, besides this son of whom I have
spoken; and being fortunately able to give them greater advantages than we have
had ourselves, we have educated them well; very well. It has been one of our
great cares and pleasures to make them worthy of any station.«
    A little boastfulness in his fatherly tone here, as if he added in his
heart, even of the Chesney Wold station. Not a little more magnificence,
therefore, on the part of Sir Leicester.
    »All this is so frequent, Lady Dedlock, where I live, and among the class to
which I belong, that what would be generally called unequal marriages are not of
such rare occurrence with us as elsewhere. A son will sometimes make it known to
his father that he has fallen in love, say with a young woman in the factory.
The father, who once worked in a factory himself, will be a little disappointed
at first, very possibly. It may be that he had other views for his son. However,
the chances are, that having ascertained the young woman to be of unblemished
character, he will say to his son, I must be quite sure you are in earnest here.
This is a serious matter for both of you. Therefore I shall have this girl
educated for two years -