ehind him love and
youth, all the sweet hopes and joys of the household human life, for
ever and ever!

He returned to Lady Lansmere, who awaited his coming with the most
nervous anxiety.

"Now," said he, dryly, "I will go to Harley, and I will prevent his
returning hither."

"You have seen the parents. Good heavens! do they know of your
marriage?"

"No; to Harley I must own it first. Meanwhile, silence!"

"Silence!" echoed Lady Lansmere; and her burning hand rested in
Audley's, and Audley's hand was as ice.

In another hour Egerton had left the house, and before noon he was with
Harley.

It is necessary now to explain the absence of all the Avenel family,
except the poor stricken father.

Nora had died in giving birth to a child,--died delirious. In her
delirium she had spoken of shame, of disgrace; there was no holy nuptial
ring on her finger. Through all her grief, the first thought of Mrs.
Avenel was to save the good name of her lost daughter, the unblemished
honour of all the living Avenels. No matron long descended from
knights or kings had keener pride in name and character than the poor,
punctilious Calvinistic trader's wife. "Sorrow later, honour now!" With
hard dry eyes she mused and mused, and made out her plan. Jane Fairfield
should take away the infant at once, before the day dawned, and nurse
it with her own. Mark should go with her, for Mrs. Avenel dreaded the
indiscretion of his wild grief. She would go with them herself part of
the way, in order to command or reason them into guarded silence. But
they could not go back to Hazeldean with another infant; Jane must
go where none knew her; the two infants might pass as twins. And Mrs.
Avenel, though naturally a humane, kindly woman, and with a mother's
heart to infants, looked with almost a glad sternness at Jane's puny
babe, and thought to herself, "All difficulty would be over should there
be only one! Nora's child could thus pass throughout life for Jane's!"

Fortunately for the preservation of the secret, the Avenels kept no
servant,--only an occasional drudge, who came a few hours in the day,
and went home to sleep. Mrs. Avenel could count on Mr. Morgan's silence
as to the true cause of Nora's death. And Mr. Dale, why should be reveal
the dishonour of a family? That very day, or the next at furthest, she
could induce her husband to absent himself, lest he should blab out the
tale while his sorrow was greater than his pride. She alone would