hat it was so. Then
there crossed his brain visions of a future life which were injurious to
the girl he loved.

Let his brother Jack come and live at Scroope and marry Sophie Mellerby.
As long as he lived Jack could not be the Earl, but in regard to money
he would willingly make such arrangements as would enable his brother
to maintain the dignity and state of the house. They would divide the
income. And then he would so arrange his matters with Kate O'Hara that
his brother's son should be heir to the Earldom. He had some glimmering
of an idea that as Kate was a Roman Catholic a marriage ceremony might
be contrived of which this would become the necessary result. There
should be no deceit. Kate should know it all, and everything should be
done to make her happy. He would live abroad, and would not call himself
by his title. They would be Mr. and Mrs. Neville. As to the property,
that must of course hereafter go with the title, but in giving up so
much to his brother, he could of course arrange as to the provision
necessary for any children of his own. No doubt his Kate would like to
be the Countess Scroope,--would prefer that a future son of her own
should be the future Earl. But as he was ready to abandon so much,
surely she would be ready to abandon something. He must explain to
her,--and to her mother,--that under no other circumstances could he
marry her. He must tell her of pledges made to his uncle before he knew
her, of the duty which he owed to his family, and of his own great
dislike to the kind of life which would await him as acting head of the
family. No doubt there would be scenes,--and his heart quailed as he
remembered certain glances which had flashed upon him from the eyes of
Mrs. O'Hara. But was he not offering to give up everything for his love?
His Kate should be his wife after some Roman Catholic fashion in some
Roman Catholic country. Of course there would be difficulties,--the
least of which would not be those glances from the angry mother; but
it would be his business to overcome difficulties. There were always
difficulties in the way of any man who chose to leave the common grooves
of life and to make a separate way for himself. There were always
difficulties in the way of adventures. Dear Kate! He would never desert
his Kate. But his Kate must do as much as this for him. Did he not
intend that, whatever good things the world might have in store for him,
his Kate should share them all?

His i