e shall be thought fit."

"You can make her Lady Hampstead, and demand that she shall be
received at Court. You can deck her with diamonds, and cause her to
be seated high in honour according to your own rank. But could you
induce your father's wife to smile on her?" In answer to this he was
dumb. "Do you think she would be contented if your father's wife were
to frown on her?"

"My father's wife is not everybody."

"She would necessarily be much to your wife. Take a week, my lord, or
a month, and think upon it. She expects nothing from you yet, and it
is still in your power to save her from unhappiness."

"I would make her happy, Mrs. Roden."

"Think about it;--think about it."

"And I would make myself happy also. You count my feelings as being
nothing in the matter."

"Nothing as compared with hers. You see how plainly I deal with you.
Let me say that for a time your heart will be sore;--that you do in
truth love this girl so as to feel that she is necessary to your
happiness. Do you not know that if she were placed beyond your reach
you would recover from that sting? The duties of the world would
still be open to you. Being a man, you would still have before you
many years for recovery before your youth had departed from you. Of
course you would find some other woman, and be happy with her. For
her, if she came to shipwreck in this venture, there would be no
other chance."

"I would make this chance enough for her."

"So you think; but if you will look abroad you will see that the
perils to her happiness which I have attempted to describe are not
vain. I can say no more, my lord, but can only beg that you will take
some little time to think of it before you put the thing out of your
own reach. If she had once accepted your love I know that you would
never go back."

"Never."

"Therefore think again while there is time." He slowly dragged
himself up from his chair, and left her almost without a word at
parting. She had persuaded him--to take another week. It was not that
he doubted in the least his own purpose, but he did not know how to
gainsay her as to this small request. In that frame of mind which is
common to young men when they do not get all that they want, angry,
disappointed, and foiled, he went down-stairs, and opened the front
door,--and there on the very steps he met Marion Fay.

"Marion," he said, pouring all the tenderness of his heart into his
voice.

"My lord?"

"Come in, Marion,