of age. She had no gifts either of beauty or of intelligence;
and, in addition, D'Orsay was now deeply in love with her stepmother.

On the other hand, his position with the Blessingtons was daily growing
more difficult. People had begun to talk of the almost open relations
between Count d'Orsay and Lady Blessington. Lord Byron, in a letter
written to the countess, spoke to her openly and in a playful way of
"YOUR D'Orsay." The manners and morals of the time were decidedly
irregular; yet sooner or later the earl was sure to gain some hint of
what every one was saying. Therefore, much against his real desire, yet
in order to shelter his relations with Lady Blessington, D'Orsay agreed
to the marriage with Lady Harriet, who was only fifteen years of age.

This made the intimacy between D'Orsay and the Blessingtons appear to
be not unusual; but, as a matter of fact, the marriage was no marriage.
The unattractive girl who had become a bride merely to hide the
indiscretions of her stepmother was left entirely to herself; while the
whole family, returning to London, made their home together in Seymour
Place.

Could D'Orsay have foreseen the future he would never have done what
must always seem an act so utterly unworthy of him. For within two
years Lord Blessington fell ill and died. Had not D'Orsay been married
he would now have been free to marry Lady Blessington. As it was, he
was bound fast to her stepdaughter; and since at that time there was no
divorce court in England, and since he had no reason for seeking a
divorce, he was obliged to live on through many years in a most
ambiguous situation. He did, however, separate himself from his
childish bride; and, having done so, he openly took up his residence
with Lady Blessington at Gore House. By this time, however, the
companionship of the two had received a sort of general sanction, and
in that easy-going age most people took it as a matter of course.

The two were now quite free to live precisely as they would. Lady
Blessington became extravagantly happy, and Count d'Orsay was accepted
in London as an oracle of fashion. Every one was eager to visit Gore
House, and there they received all the notable men of the time. The
improvidence of Lady Blessington, however, was in no respect
diminished. She lived upon her jointure, recklessly spending capital as
well as interest, and gathering under her roof a rare museum of
artistic works, from jewels and curios up to magnificent