"What do you mean, Dick?" said Charles in an aggrieved voice--the aggrieved voice afterwards assumed by the representative of the part of Joseph in _The School for Scandal_. "Brother, I really am surprised to find you making light of so estimable a family."
"As the Linleys or the Sheridans--which?" cried Dick. "Oh, man, come home; the girl is asleep hours ago and dreaming of--of you, maybe, Charles. Think of that, man--think of that--dreaming of you! Oh, if you have any appreciation of a true lover's duty, you will hasten to your bed to return the compliment by dreaming of her."
Mr. Richard Brinsley Sheridan put his arm through his brother's, and Charles suffered himself to be led away to their house on the Terrace Walks, protesting all the time that the man who rushed hastily to conclusions was more to be execrated than the footpad, for the latter was content when he had stolen a man's purse, whereas the other....
"True--true--quite true, Joseph," said Dick. "We can make another score or two of those sentiments when we get home. Father has a copy of the 'Sentiments of all Nations' as well as a rhyming-dictionary."
Betsy Linley awoke in the morning with a feeling of having been disappointed about something, and she was disappointed with herself for being so weak as to be conscious of such an impression. In short, she was disappointed with herself for awaking in disappointment. She should have felt gladness, only gladness, to think that the brother, who had ever been so dear to her, had escaped all the perils of the years he had spent among the artistic barbarians of Italy, all the perils of the long journey through the land of brigands to land of highwaymen. No other consideration should have produced any impression on her.
The previous morning she had awakened with the one thought dancing before her, "He will be at home when I next wake in this house!" and it seemed to her then that this was all she required to make her happy. What more than this could she need? If he returned to her side safe and well, what could anything else matter? There was nothing else in the world of sufficient importance in comparison with such an occurrence to be worth a thought. The feeling that he was near her would absorb every thought of her heart, and nothing that might occur afterwards could diminish from the joy of that thought.