or and escaped, before Lady Selina had time to reply.

XXIX. THE COUNTESS OF CASHEL IN TROUBLE

After considerable negotiation between the father and the son, the time
was fixed for Lord Kilcullen's arrival at Grey Abbey. The earl tried
much to accelerate it, and the viscount was equally anxious to stave
off the evil day; but at last it was arranged that, on the 3rd of
April, he was to make his appearance, and that he should commence his
wooing as soon as possible after that day.

When this was absolutely fixed, Lord Cashel paid a visit to his
countess, in her boudoir, to inform her of the circumstance, and
prepare her for the expected guest. He did not, however, say a word of
the purport of his son's visit. He had, at one time, thought of telling
the old lady all about it, and bespeaking her influence with Fanny for
the furtherance of his plan; but, on reconsideration, he reflected that
his wife was not the person to be trusted with any intrigue. So he
merely told her that Lord Kilcullen would be at Grey Abbey in five
days; that he would probably remain at home a long time; that, as he
was giving up his London vices and extravagances, and going to reside
at Grey Abbey, he wished that the house should be made as pleasant for
him as possible; that a set of friends, relatives, and acquaintances
should be asked to come and stay there; and, in short, that Lord
Kilcullen, having been a truly prodigal son, should have a fatted calf
prepared for his arrival.

All this flurried and rejoiced, terrified and excited my lady
exceedingly. In the first place it was so truly delightful that her
son should turn good and proper, and careful and decorous, just at
the right time of life; so exactly the thing that ought to happen. Of
course young noblemen were extravagant, and wicked, and lascivious,
habitual breakers of the commandments, and self-idolators; it was their
nature. In Lady Cashel's thoughts on the education of young men, these
evils were ranked with the measles and hooping cough; it was well that
they should be gone through and be done with early in life. She had
a kind of hazy idea that an opera-dancer and a gambling club were
indispensable in fitting a young aristocrat for his future career;
and I doubt whether she would not have agreed to the expediency
of inoculating a son of hers with these ailments in a mild
degree--vaccinating him as it were with dissipation, in order that he
might not catch the disease la