My father spoke of the marriage like a land-surveyor, but of the estate of Nettlewood like an impassioned lover.

He seemed to dote on every acre of it, and dwelt on its contiguity to his own domains as a circumstance which rendered the union of the estates not desirable merely, but constituted an arrangement, pointed out by the hand of nature.

And although he observed, that, on account of the youth of the parties, treaty of marriage could not be immediately undertaken, it was yet clear he would approve at heart of any bold stroke which would abolish the interval of time that might otherwise intervene, ere Oakendale and Nettlewood became one property.
"Here, then, were shipwrecked my fair hopes.

It was clear as sunshine, that a private marriage, unpardonable in the abstract, would become venial, nay, highly laudable, in my father's eyes, if it united his heir with Clara Mowbray; and if he really had, as my fears suggested, the means of establishing legitimacy on my brother's part, nothing was so likely to tempt him to use them, as the certainty that, by his doing so, Nettlewood and Oakendale would be united into one.

The very catastrophe which I had prepared, as sure to exclude my rival from his father's favour, was thus likely, unless it could be prevented, to become a strong motive and argument for the Earl placing his rights above mine.
"I shut myself up in my bedroom; locked the door; read, and again read my father's letter; and, instead of giving way to idle passion, (beware of that, Harry, even in the most desperate circumstances,) I considered, with keen investigation, whether some remedy could not yet be found .-- To break off the match for the time, would have been easy--a little private information to Mr.Mowbray would have done that with a vengeance--But then the treaty might be renewed under my father's auspices;--at all events, the share which I had taken in the intrigue between Clara and my brother, rendered it almost impossible for me to become a suitor in my own person .-- Amid these perplexities, it suddenly occurred to my adventurous heart and contriving brain--what if I should personate the bridegroom ?--This strange thought, you will recollect, occurred to a very youthful brain--it was banished--it returned--returned again and again--was viewed under every different shape--became familiar--was adopted .-- It was easy to fix the appointment with Clara and the clergyman for I managed the whole correspondence--the resemblance between Francis and me in stature and in proportion--the disguise which we were to assume--the darkness of the church--the hurry of the moment--might, I trusted, prevent Clara from recognising me.