You flatter me, I am sure. I am equally sure that you have nothing you need to be modest about, though I can assure you modesty is a most becoming virtue. A lack of experience in running a household is no obstacle; it is something that can well be learnt.

I confess to being a country man at heart, though I spend some time in town and many a day confined to my study. I have one son from my previous marriage who will be soon off to school, but otherwise the house would be all my wife’s domain again to do with as she pleases. And what of your family? Is it a large one? Have you many siblings?

---