He had not forgotten that in
any event Catherine had her own ten thousand a year; he had devoted
an abundance of meditation to this circumstance. But with his fine
parts he rated himself high, and he had a perfectly definite
appreciation of his value, which seemed to him inadequately
represented by the sum I have mentioned. At the same time he
reminded himself that this sum was considerable, that everything is
relative, and that if a modest income is less desirable than a large
one, the complete absence of revenue is nowhere accounted an
advantage. These reflexions gave him plenty of occupation, and made
it necessary that he should trim his sail. Dr. Sloper's opposition
was the unknown quantity in the problem he had to work out. The
natural way to work it out was by marrying Catherine; but in
mathematics there are many short cuts, and Morris was not without a
hope that he should yet discover one. When Catherine took him at his
word and consented to renounce the attempt to mollify her father, he
drew back skilfully enough, as I have said, and kept the wedding-day
still an open question. Her faith in his sincerity was so complete
that she was incapable of suspecting that he was playing with her;
her trouble just now was of another kind. The poor girl had an
admirable sense of honour; and from the moment she had brought
herself to the point of violating her father's wish, it seemed to her
that she had no right to enjoy his protection.
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