il. For
God's sake, put an end to the torture of this life, which is destroying
us both. Poverty, absolute poverty, with you and with your love, I can
meet even with cheerfulness; but indeed, my Ratcliffe, I can bear our
present life no longer; I shall die if you be unhappy. And oh! dearest
Ratcliffe, if that were to happen, which sometimes I fear has happened,
if you were no longer to love me--'

But here Sir Ratcliffe assured her of the reverse.

'Only think,' she would continue, 'if when we married we had voluntarily
done that which we may now be forced to do, we really should have been
almost rich people; at least we should have had quite enough to live
in ease, and even elegance. And now we owe thousands to that horrible
Bagster, who I am sure cheated your father out of house and home, and I
dare say, after all, wants to buy Armine for himself.'

'He buy Armine! An attorney buy Armine! Never, Constance, never! I will
be buried in its ruins first. There is no sacrifice that I would not
sooner make--'

'But, dearest love, suppose we sell it to some one else, and suppose
after paying every thing we have thirty thousand pounds left. How well
we could live abroad on the interest of thirty thousand pounds?'

'There would not be thirty thousand pounds left now!'

'Well, five-and-twenty, or even twenty. I could manage on twenty. And
then we could buy a commission for dear Ferdinand.'

'But to leave our child!'

'Could not he go into the Spanish service? Perhaps you could get a
commission in the Spanish Guards for nothing. They must remember you
there. And such a name as Armine! I have no doubt that the king would be
quite proud to have another Armine in his guard. And then we could live
at Madrid; and that would be so delightful, because you speak Spanish
so beautifully, and I could learn it very quickly. I am very quick at
learning languages, I am, indeed.'

'I think you are very quick at everything, dear Constance. I am sure you
are really a treasure of a wife; I have cause every hour to bless you;
and, if it were not for my own sake, I should say that I wish you had
made a happier marriage.'

'Oh! do not say that, Ratcliffe; say anything but that, Ratcliffe. If
you love me I am the happiest woman that ever lived. Be sure always of
that.'

'I wonder if they do remember me at Madrid!'

'To be sure they do. How could they forget you; how could they forget
my Ratcliffe? I daresay you go to this day by the nam