Brudenell. The
instincts of her affections and the sense of her duties were at war in
her bosom. The latter as yet was in the ascendency. It was under its
influence she spoke again.

"But, Mr. Brudenell, your mother?"

"Hannah! Hannah! don't be disagreeable! You are too young to play duenna
yet!" he said gayly.

"I do not know what you mean by duenna, Mr. Brudenell, but I know what
is due to your mother," replied the elder sister gravely.

"Mother, mother, mother; how tiresome you are, Hannah, everlastingly
repeating the same word over and over again! You shall not make us
miserable. We intend to be happy, now, Nora and myself. Do we not,
dearest?" he added, changing the testy tone in which he had spoken to
the elder sister for one of the deepest tenderness as he turned and
addressed the younger.

"Yes, but, your mother," murmured Nora very softly and timidly.

"You too! Decidedly that word is infectious, like yawning! Well, my
dears, since you will bring it on the tapis, let us discuss and dismiss
it. My mother is a very fine woman, Hannah; but she is unreasonable,
Nora. She is attached to what she calls her 'order,' my dears, and never
would consent to my marriage with any other than a lady of rank and
wealth."

"Then you must give up Nora, Mr. Brudenell," said Hannah gravely.

"Yes, indeed," assented poor Nora, under her breath, and turning pale.

"May the Lord give me up if I do!" cried the young man impetuously.

"You will never defy your mother," said Hannah.

"Oh, no! oh, no! I should be frightened to death," gasped Nora,
trembling between weakness and fear.

"No, I will never defy my mother; there are other ways of doing things;
I must marry Nora, and we must keep the affair quiet for a time."

"I do not understand you," said Hannah coldly.

"Nora does, though! Do you not, my darling?" exclaimed Herman
triumphantly.

And the blushing but joyous face of Nora answered him.

"You say you will not defy your mother. Do you mean then to deceive her,
Mr. Brudenell?" inquired the elder sister severely.

"Hannah, don't be abusive! This is just the whole matter, in brief. I am
twenty-one, master of myself and my estate. I could marry Nora at any
time, openly, without my mother's consent. But that would give her great
pain. It would not kill her, nor make her ill, but it would wound her in
her tenderest points--her love of her son, and her love of rank; it
would produce an open rupture between us. She