But from these low beginnings, it was a far look
upward to Miss Austin: the favour of the loved one seems always
more than problematical to any lover; the consent of parents must
be always more than doubtful to a young man with a small salary and
no capital except capacity and hope. But Fleeming was not the lad
to lose any good thing for the lack of trial; and at length, in the
autumn of 1857, this boyish-sized, boyish-mannered, and
superlatively ill-dressed young engineer, entered the house of the
Austins, with such sinkings as we may fancy, and asked leave to pay
his addresses to the daughter. Mrs. Austin already loved him like
a son, she was but too glad to give him her consent; Mr. Austin
reserved the right to inquire into his character; from neither was
there a word about his prospects, by neither was his income
mentioned. 'Are these people,' he wrote, struck with wonder at
this dignified disinterestedness, 'are these people the same as
other people?' It was not till he was armed with this permission,
that Miss Austin even suspected the nature of his hopes: so
strong, in this unmannerly boy, was the principle of true courtesy;
so powerful, in this impetuous nature, the springs of self-
repression.
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