The first step towards it would
be her marriage with Theobald. In spite, however, of these flights
of religious romanticism, Christina was a good-tempered kindly-natured
girl enough, who, if she had married a sensible layman- we will say
a hotel-keeper- would have developed into a good landlady and been
deservedly popular with her guests.
Such was Theobald's engaged life. Many a little present passed
between the pair, and many a small surprise did they prepare
pleasantly for one another. They never quarrelled, and neither of them
ever flirted with anyone else. Mrs. Allaby and his future
sisters-in-law idolised Theobald in spite of its being impossible to
get another deacon to come and be played for as long as Theobald was
able to help Mr. Allaby, which now of course he did free gratis and
for nothing; two of the sisters, however, did manage to find husbands
before Christina was actually married, and on each occasion Theobald
played the part of decoy elephant. In the end only two out of the
seven daughters remained single.
After three or four years, old Mr. Pontifex became accustomed to his
son's engagement and looked upon it as among the things which had
now a prescriptive right to toleration.
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