All Mistress Deborah's garments were so arranged as might best set off a good-looking woman, whose countenance indicated ease and good cheer--who called herself five-and-thirty, and was well entitled, if she had a mind, to call herself twelve or fifteen years older.
Julian was under the necessity of enduring all her tiresome and fantastic airs, and awaiting with patience till she had "prinked herself and pinned herself"-- flung her hoods back, and drawn them forward--snuffed at a little bottle of essences--closed her eyes like a dying fowl--turned them up like duck in a thunderstorm; when at length, having exhausted her round of _minauderies_, she condescended to open the conversation.
"These walks will be the death of me," she said, "and all on your account, Master Julian Peveril; for if Dame Christian should learn that you have chosen to make your visits to her niece, I promise you Mistress Alice would be soon obliged to find other quarters, and so should I." "Come now, Mistress Deborah, be good-humoured," said Julian; "consider, was not all this intimacy of ours of your own making?
Did you not make yourself known to me the very first time I strolled up this glen with my fishing-rod, and tell me that you were my former keeper, and that Alice had been my little playfellow?
And what could there be more natural, than that I should come back and see two such agreeable persons as often as I could ?" "Yes," said Dame Deborah; "but I did not bid you fall in love with us, though, or propose such a matter as marriage either to Alice or myself." "To do you justice, you never did, Deborah," answered the youth; "but what of that?
Such things will come out before one is aware.

I am sure you must have heard such proposals fifty times when you least expected them." "Fie, fie, fie, Master Julian Peveril," said the governante; "I would have you to know that I have always so behaved myself, that the best of the land would have thought twice of it, and have very well considered both what he was going to say, and how he was going to say it, before he came out with such proposals to me." "True, true, Mistress Deborah," continued Julian; "but all the world hath not your discretion.

Then Alice Bridgenorth is a child--a mere child; and one always asks a baby to be one's little wife, you know.
Come, I know you will forgive me.

Thou wert ever the best-natured, kindest woman in the world; and you know you have said twenty times we were made for each other." "Oh no, Master Julian Peveril; no, no, no!" ejaculated Deborah.

"I may indeed have said your estates were born to be united; and to be sure it is natural for me, that come of the old stock of the yeomanry of Peveril of the Peak's estate, to wish that it was all within the ring fence again; which sure enough it might be, were you to marry Alice Bridgenorth.