ld endeavour
to keep his daughter out of the hands of such a suitor. If it were
only in regard to money would it not be necessary for him to do so?
Every possible barricade would be built up in his way. There would be
nothing on his side except the girl's love for himself. Was it to be
expected that her love would have power to conquer such obstacles as
these? And if it were, would she obtain her own happiness by clinging
to it? He was aware that in his present position no duty was so
incumbent on him as that of looking to the happiness of the woman
whom he wished to make his wife.

CHAPTER IX.

AT KOENIGSGRAAF.

Very shortly after this there came a letter from Lady Frances to
Paradise Row,--the only letter which Roden received from her during
this period of his courtship. A portion of the letter shall be given,
from which the reader will see that difficulties had arisen at
Koenigsgraaf as to their correspondence. He had written twice. The
first letter had in due course reached the young lady's hands, having
been brought up from the village post-office in the usual manner,
and delivered to her without remark by her own maid. When the second
reached the Castle it fell into the hands of the Marchioness. She
had, indeed, taken steps that it should fall into her hands. She was
aware that the first letter had come, and had been shocked at the
idea of such a correspondence. She had received no direct authority
from her husband on the subject, but felt that it was incumbent on
herself to take strong steps. It must not be that Lady Frances should
receive love-letters from a Post Office clerk! As regarded Lady
Frances herself, the Marchioness would have been willing enough that
the girl should be given over to a letter-carrier, if she could be
thus got rid of altogether,--so that the world should not know that
there was or had been a Lady Frances. But the fact was patent,--as
was also that too, too-sad truth of the existence of a brother older
than her own comely bairns. As the feeling of hatred grew upon her,
she continually declared to herself that she would have been as
gentle a stepmother as ever loved another woman's children, had these
two known how to bear themselves like the son and daughter of a
Marquis. Seeing what they were,--and what were her own children,--how
these struggled to repudiate that rank which her own were born to
adorn and protect, was it not natural that she should hate them, and
profess th