he hands that ministered to his few remaining wants
were those of his own kindred or of pitying strangers. When he thought
he had made this quite evident to her, he reminded her that there was no
further question of removing either from Christian himself, or from his
wife and daughter, the stain of an undeserved ignominy; he was at this
very moment regarded by all who knew anything of the circumstances as a
victim sacrificed to save Clarkson, and justified by the manifest
interference of Providence--placed thus in a better position as regarded
public opinion than he could have been by any other train of events.
Thus no idea of compensation need longer be entertained; the generous
yearning towards the oppressed must die now that oppression was ended;
and the only result of declaring the long-concealed marriage would be to
bring upon the two women who had already suffered so much in consequence
of it, a fresh torture of wonder and notoriety--in short, there was no
longer any sufficient reason for the relationship becoming known, and
Mr. Strafford came gradually to the point of suggesting this to Mrs.
Costello.

She heard him with surprise. As he went on telling her all that was
meant to prepare her for this idea, she listened and assented without
suspecting what was coming, but when she did understand him she said
much as she had done before,

"It is too late to make any change now; three or four persons already
know."

"But," Mr. Strafford answered, "they are just the persons whom you can
trust, and whom, most likely you would have wished to tell, at any
rate."

"That is true. You think then that the truth may still be kept secret?"

"I see no reason why it should not. Doctor Hardy suspects it, but
medical men know how to keep family secrets, and as for whatever wonder
your illness may have excited in either Mrs. Elton or her husband, the
doctor himself can easily set that at rest by saying what I am afraid is
too true, that you are subject to fainting fits."

"You must give him a hint to do so then, please; and I know that the
others whom I have told will keep silence faithfully. But then I am not
yet quite convinced that silence ought to be kept."

"You still feel, however, that _not_ to keep it is in some degree to
sacrifice Lucia?"

"Yes. But you know that we have long ago weighed that matter. Heaven
knows that my heart is in the same scale as my darling's happiness, and
just for that very reason I am afrai