. The young Duchino, the brother, declared
his belief that there had been no such marriage. But she, should
she cling to the name, could not make her title good to it without
obtaining proofs which they had not been able to find. No doubt
she could call herself Duchess. Had she means at command she might
probably cause herself to be received as such. But no property would
thus be affected,--nor would it rob him, the younger son, of his
right to call himself also by the title. The offer made to her was
not ungenerous. The family owed her nothing, but were willing to
sacrifice nearly half of all they had with the object of restoring
to her the money of which the profligate had robbed her,--which he
had been enabled to take from her by her own folly and credulity. In
this terrible emergency of her life, Mrs. Vincent sent over to her a
solicitor from London, between whom and the Italian man of business
a bargain was struck. The young wife undertook to drop her husband's
name, and to drop it also on behalf of her boy. Then the eight
thousand pounds was repaid, and Mrs. Roden, as she afterwards called
herself, went back to Wimbledon and to England with her baby.

So far the life of George Roden's mother had been most unfortunate.
After that, for a period of sixteen years time went with her, if not
altogether happily, at least quietly and comfortably. Then there
came a subject of disruption. George Roden took upon himself to have
opinions of his own; and would not hold his peace in the presence
of Mrs. Vincent, to whom those opinions were most unacceptable. And
they were the more unacceptable because the mother's tone of mind
had always taken something of the bent which appeared so strongly
afterwards in her son. George at any rate could not be induced to be
silent; nor,--which was worse,--could he after reaching his twentieth
year be made to go to church with that regularity which was necessary
for the elder lady's peace of mind. He at this time had achieved for
himself a place in the office ruled over by our friend Sir Boreas,
and had in this way become so much of a man as to be entitled to
judge for himself. In this way there had been no quarrel between Mrs.
Vincent and Mrs. Roden, but there had come a condition of things in
which it had been thought expedient that they should live apart. Mrs.
Roden had therefore taken for herself a house in Paradise Row, and
those weekly inter-visitings had been commenced between her and h