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As to s they remain exactly as they hen I endeavoured to explain theh I do not find myself to be too old to marry, I do think myself too old to write love letters I have no doubt you believe me when I say that I entertain a most sincere affection for you; and I beseech you to believefurther that should you become my wife it shall be the study of my life to make you happy

It is essentially necessary that I should allude to one other matter, as to which I have already told your father what I will now tell you I think it probable that within this week I shall find h the failure of a gentleive because he was theme known to you This you h I have thought it proper to inform your father Such loss, if it fall upon me, will not interfere in the least with the income which I have proposed to settle upon you for your use after my death; and, as your father declares that in the event of your ive to you nor bequeath to you a shilling, heme to my face that I was a bankrupt merchant when I myself told him of my loss I am not a bankrupt merchant nor at all likely to become so Nor will this loss at all interfere with ht to inform you of it, because, if it occur,--as I think it will,--I shall not deeht to keep a second establishment probably for the next two or three years But my house at Fulham and my stables there will be kept up just as they are at present

I have now told you everything which I think it is necessary you should know, in order that you ement When you have resolved you will let me know but a day or two may probably be necessary for your decision I hope I need not say that a decision in my favour will make me a happy man

I am, in the meantime, your affectionate friend, EZEKIEL BREHGERT

This very long letter puzzled Georgey a good deal, and left her, at the ti it, very much in doubt as to what she would do She could understand that it was a plain-spoken and truth-telling letter Not that she, to herself, gave it praise for those virtues; but that it ih belief She was apt to suspect deceit in other people;--but it did not occur to her that Mr Brehgert had written a single ith an atteenuine honesty of the letter was altogether throay upon her She never said to herself, as she read it, that she h he were a Jew, though greasy and like a butcher, though over fifty and with a family, because he was an honest man She did not see that the letter was particularly sensible;--but she did allow herself to be pained by the total absence of roe, and angry at the second; and yet she had never supposed that Brehgert had taken her to be younger than she was She ell aware that the world in general attributes more years to un counter-weight against the pretences which young women make on the other side, or the lies which are told on their behalf Nor had she wished to appear peculiarly young in his eyes But, nevertheless, she regarded the reference to be uncivil,--perhaps almost butcher-like,--and it had its effect upon her And then the allusion to the 'daughter or daughters' troubled her She told herself that it was vulgar,--just what a butcher h she was quite prepared to call her father the most irrational, the most prejudiced, and ert should take such a liberty with hiert's letter which was most distasteful to her was that which told her of the loss which he h his connection with Melht had he to incur a loss which would incapacitate hiereat persuasion, and now he absolutely had the face to tell her that there was to be no town-house for three years When she read this she felt that she ought to be indignant, and for a few moments was minded to sit doithout further consideration and tell themore to say to him