Then came the business of telling this new love tale,--the third which poor Alice had been forced to tell her father and grandfather;--and a grievous task it was. In this matter she feared her father much more than her grandfather, and therefore she resolved to tell her grandfather first;--or, rather, she determined that she would tell the Squire, and that in the mean time Kate should talk to her father.
"Grandpapa," she said to him the morning after she had received her cousin's second letter.--The old man was in the habit of breakfasting alone in a closet of his own, which was called his dressing-room, but in which he kept no appurtenances for dressing, but in lieu of them a large collection of old spuds and sticks and horse's-bits. There was a broken spade here, and a hoe or two; and a small table in the corner was covered with the debris of tradesmen's bills from Penrith, and dirty scraps which he was wont to call his farm accounts.--"Grandpapa," said Alice, rushing away at once into the middle of her subject, "you told me the other day that you thought I ought to be--married."
"Did I, my dear? Well, yes; so I did. And so you ought;--I mean to that Mr. Grey."
"That is impossible, sir."
"Then what's the use of your coming and talking to me about it?"

Then came the business of telling this new love tale to Alice's father and grandfather; and a grievous task it was. In this matter she feared her father much more than her grandfather, so she decided that she would tell the Squire, and that meanwhile Kate should talk to her father.
She went to the room where the old man breakfasted alone. It contained a broken spade, a hoe or two and some horses' bits; and a small table in the corner was covered with tradesmen's bills from Penrith, and dirty scraps which he called his farm accounts.
"Grandpapa," said Alice, "you told me the other day that you thought I ought to be - married."
"So I did. And so you ought, to that Mr. Grey."
"That is impossible, sir."
"Then what's the use of your coming and talking to me about it?"
