aying
in the Tower after the usual hour, and making use of the Earl's
order, if the marriage did not take place.
He saw that the wily politician had entangled him on all sides. He
saw that he had left him scarcely a possibility of escape. He had
either to commit an action which he felt would be dishonourable in
the highest degree towards Laura, or to break the solemn pledge that
he had made, and at the same time leave himself still under the
imputation of dishonour; for he had nothing else to propose to Laura
or her father but her instant marriage with himself, notwithstanding
the circumstances of his birth, or the imminent risk of her father's
total ruin.
"She may think," he said to himself, "and the Duke certainly will
think, that I have never told this fact till the very last moment,
when I have so entangled her that there was no receding. Thus I shall
violate my word to the Earl, which his baseness, perhaps, would
justify me in doing, but shall yet derive scarcely any benefit either
to the Duke, or Laura, or myself."
It was all agony, and clasping his hands together once more, he
remained gazing upon the ground in absolute despair. Which way, he
asked himself, could he turn for help or advice? His mind rested for
a moment on Lord Sunbury. There were many strong reasons to believe
that he was in London, but incognito; but as Wilton thus thought, he
recollected his pledge not to mention either the plans the Earl had
laid out, or the facts concerning his own birth which had been told
him. And again he was at sea, but the next moment came the thought of
Lord Sherbrooke and his strange acquaintance Green: he recollected
that on that very night he was to meet the Colonel; he recollected
that the very object of that meeting was to be the Duke; he
remembered that Green's words had been, "to apply to him in any
difficulty, for that he had more power to do him a service than
ever;" he recollected that the very person he was to see possessed
some knowledge of his own history; and hope, out of these materials,
however incoherent, strange, and unpromising they might be, contrived
to elicit at least one ray of light.
"I will meet him," he thought; "I will meet him, and will do the best
that I can when I do see him. I must not allude to what I have heard;
but he may have power that I do not know of, he may even aid me in
some other plan for the Duke's escape. I will set out as soon as it
is dusk."
As he thus thought, he turned towards the door, nearly forgetting