I found my way so well into the aunt's good graces that I
was invited to call whenever I liked, and frequently asked to dinner. As I did not like to call every day, for fear it should look bad, either
Molly or Molly's aunt managed to feel unwell on the days that I did not
call, and they found it necessary to send for me, so it came to much the
same thing, as I saw Molly every day. Molly's aunt was one of that class
of females who are always imagining that something or other is the
matter with them. I soon saw, therefore, that to get thoroughly into her
good graces, I must humour her in her whims. Accordingly, I made out that she had this, that, or the other--indeed,
I forget what it was exactly that I said ailed her--and promised to
bring her some physic. This quite won her heart, so I at once set about
making some liquorice water, endeavouring to disguise the taste of the
liquorice as much as possible by adding salt, pepper, a little soap,
some tobacco, and other nauseous ingredients. I wonder the mess didn't
poison her, but so far from causing ill-effects, she informed me that it
had really done her good. Whether the good it had done her only lay in her imagination or whether
the strange compound really did possess a medicinal property I cannot
tell (I can hardly think the latter), but certain it was, she _did_ seem
better. I believe the real fact of the matter to be this. Molly's aunt
was the daughter of a well-to-do retired butcher, and like many of her
class, had over-indulged in high feeding, and consequently was always
suffering from overloaded stomach. The mess that I gave her made her
sick, and that, in reality, and not merely in imagination, effected a
cure. I then put her on a lower diet, recommended her plenty of walking
exercise, and in a very short time there was a complete change in her
constitution. She no longer felt dyspeptic and desponding, suffered no
longer from nervous headaches, in fact, in her own words, she "felt
quite a girl again." All the effect of my wonderful medicine. This, of
course, was a feather in my cap, and she looked up to me more than ever. A week and then a fortnight passed away, and I now thought it high time
to break to the aunt my love affair with her niece, and ask her consent
to our union. So I called upon her one morning and requested to speak
with her alone. She received me in the back parlour, and begged me to
take a seat. I did so, and began thus:--

"Ahem! Madam, I wished to talk to you upon a matter of some delicacy." "Good gracious, doctor! What can have happened?" she exclaimed,
observing a look of unwonted gravity in my face. "Oh, nothing, nothing," I said; "at least, nothing of any great
importance. Hear me. I am a physician of a certain age and in very good
practice." I paused. "Well, Dr. Crow," said the aunt. "And I am still a bachelor," I continued. "Well, sir," said she, wriggling about in her seat and looking coy, as
if she guessed I meditated a proposal, and took the compliment to
herself. "Well, madam," said I, impatient to get through this painful duty, "to
cut a long story short, I am in love with your charming niece." "_Oh!_ doctor," she exclaimed. The "_Oh!_" was jerked out with a spasm truly painful, and her
countenance fell visibly. "I dare say you were not prepared for such a surprise, but I have known
Miss Sykes now a long time, and I never saw anyone who could suit me
better as a wife. Miss Sykes and I have talked the matter over
together, and she only awaits her aunt's consent. Thank you, thank you,
madam," said I seizing her hand, "I knew you would give it," before
giving her an opportunity either to consent or refuse. "Molly!" I cried, "come and thank your kind aunt for having given her
consent to our happy union." Molly entered, blushing and giggling. "Come, Molly," said I, "come and thank aunt, for now we shall be as
happy as two birds in a nest. I'll go and see about the licence, and
we'll get married as soon as ever we can." I laughed and appeared very merry, repeatedly seizing the aunt by the
hand and patting her on the shoulder before she had time to get a word
out. "Stay, sir," said she, at length, "I can do nothing without the consent
of my niece's father." "Oh, that will be easily obtained, I am quite sure," said I, hopefully. "We will at once write a note, and all will be settled." I brought her her desk, opened it, took out pen, ink, and paper, and
placing a chair for her, induced her to write. "Yes," I said, looking over her shoulder as she wrote, "that will
do--not _too_ cold. Say I am in a position to make his daughter
comfortable, and that you think it is a very desirable match--yes,
that's the sort of thing. Give it to me, I'll take it to the post." So
saying, I snatched up the epistle, bounded from the house, and returned
shortly, as happy as if everything were already settled. In due time came a reply from old Sykes, to the purport that, though he
would have chosen a younger man for his daughter, yet on the whole,
considering that I had a pretty good business as a doctor, and could
keep her well, he saw no reason why he should withhold his consent. Furthermore, he begged the aunt that if his daughter were to be married
to hasten the marriage as much as possible, as young Rashly had been
missing for some time, and folks said that he was down at H---- after
her. "Bravo! old Sykes," said I to myself, "Fortune seems to favour me
indeed." The next step that I intended to take was to obtain the consent of my
father. Accordingly, I took leave of Molly for a time, stating that I
had to absent myself on business, and promising a speedy return. I
entered the stage and arrived at our village, where I put up at my
father's inn. It was towards evening when I arrived. "Landlord!" I cried, disguising my voice, "I wish to dine in
half-an-hour." "Yes, sir," said my father, coming towards me, bowing, and rubbing his
hands. "Have you got a good bed?" asked I, "for I wish to sleep here to-night." "Yes, sir, capital beds, sir," said my father, "both clean and well
aired." "Very well, then, make me up one," said I, pompously. "It shall be done, sir," said my father, obsequiously. I occupied myself with reading until dinner-time. At length the dinner
came up. "A pint of your best port, landlord," I cried, magnificently. My father returned with the port, crusted and cob-webbed, from the
cellar, and I began my dinner. Having finished, I filled my pipe, and
whilst my father cleared the table, I deigned to enter into conversation
with him. I began by asking him the number of inhabitants in the village, and then
brought him out upon the subject of the epidemic. "Ah! sir," said my father, deeply moved, "it carried off my only son
some three weeks ago, and a finer lad you wouldn't see in all England. I
hoped that he would have been the prop of my old age, but he was carried
off, sir, along with the rest--struck down in the very spring of his
youth, as you may say.