The Duke's Children

ary Pa

Cornish gentleman, who had become Lord Silverbridge's friend at Oxford. In this there had certainly been but little to recommend him to the intimacy of such a girl as Lady Mary Palliser. Nor had the Duchess, when writing, ever spoken of him as a probable suitor for her daughter's hand. She had never connected the two names together. But Mrs. Finn had been clever enough to perceive that the Duchess had become fond of Mr. Tregear, and would willingly have heard something to his advantage. And sh

n be spared what I suffered, let her be spared." Even when these things had been said to her, Mrs. Finn had found herself unable to ask questions. She could not bring herself to inquire whether the girl had in truth given her heart to this young Tregear. The one was nineteen and the other as yet but two-and-twenty! But though she asked no questions she almost knew that it must be so. And she knew also that the father, as yet, was quite in the dark on th

heart,-holding her hand, and trying so to listen to her words, that he might collect and remember every wish, she had murmured something about the ultimate division of the great wealth with which she herself had been endowed. "She had never," she said, "even tried to remember what arrangements had been ma

courage, eyes which never seemed to quail, and her mother's dark brown hair, never long but very copious in its thickness. She was, however, taller than her mother, and very much more graceful in her movement. And she could already assume a personal dignity of manner which had never been within her mother's reach. She had

o go to Lady Can

ke it,-just for the

fastidiously, afraid of appearing to take advantage of her friendship with the Duke's family. She would tell herself that though circumstances had compelled her to be the closest and nearest friend of a Duchess, still her natura

nt to send me a

hat he thinks it will be better for you to be wi

I suppose Mr. Finn wants

f it were suitable. Or for a week or two he might do very well without me. But there are

er speak a word

are your father's

want to be-

himself, of whom

do not wish him to be alone. I am sure it w

ell that you should live without

bids me go, I must go, and then of course I shall go where he sends me; but I won't say that I think it best that I should go, and certainly I do not want to go to Lady Cantrip." Th

only of what may

me to stay near him.

losely as she could, and then of course the

away, papa," sh

Mary, will be i

o college, like Gerald, or live anywher

envy the

, and I should like to be thinking of her always." He shook his head m

ung for that. It is only the

on't you, papa? I do not want to go to La

s very

to mamma about Lady Midlothian. Papa,

e Mr. Finn, but she knew that in his present mood the society of any one man to whom he would feel himself called upon to devote his time, would be a burden to him, and she plainly said that Mr. Finn had better not come to Matching at present. "There are old associations,

e knew better,-that the judgment of men and women does not always run parallel with facts. She entertained, too, a conviction in regard to herself, that hard words and hard judgments were to be expected from the world,-were to be accepted by her without any strong feeling of injustice,-because she had been elevated by chance to the possession of more good things than she had merited. She weighed all this with a very fine balance, and even after the encouragement she had received from the Duke, was intent on confining herself to some position about the girl inferior to that which such a friend

idence. The whole story about Mr. Tregear was told. Yes; she lov

father ought to kno

yet. Mamm

all that you

to her, and she said that papa

she had lost was not, among women, the one best a

ot yet

xplain. In the first place, because M

ad reason; the wo

e loves better than all the rest, for whom one would be ready to die, to whom one is determined th

to do that which is ack

am going to do

as been not only given but declared. A girl's position in such

t quite know what the word means. I am not a bit ashamed of being in love with Mr. Tregear. He is a gentleman, highly educated, very clev

u not to trust your papa? If he appr

t dear mamma. He could not bring himself to care about anything of that k

now,

you mean

her you would tal

ma k

living she would

to tell him quite yet. She wanted to see Mr. Tregear here in E

ll not

e? He will not come he

first time the girl blushed. "Oh, Mary, if you

mamma was, then he wrote to me-twice. You may see his lette

her courage, had been afraid to propose to her husband that their daughter should marry a commoner without an income. But in thinking of all that, there could now be nothing gained. What ought she to do-at once? The girl, in telling her, had exacted no promise of secrecy, nor would she have given any such promise; but yet she did not like the idea of telling the tale behind the girl's back. It was evident that Lady Mary had considered herself to be safe in confiding her story to her mother's old friend. Lady Mary no doubt had had her confidences with her mother,-confidences from which it had been intended by both that the father should be excluded; and now she seemed naturally to expect that this new ally should loo

had trusted her, but the father also; and the father's confidence had been not only the first but by far the holier of the two. And the q

an end, "your father ought to know all this. I should feel that

will tell?" said the girl, horrif

o do so. Every day that he is kep

can come? It is not as though

at you became engaged to Mr. Tregear in Italy, and that

evil has been done already. Of cour

nd therefore you ought to d

meant Mr. Tregear. "I have told him that I would

as the special friend of the dear mother who was gone, that she might be trusted to assist against the terrible weight of parental authority. She could not endure to be regarded at once as a traitor by this young friend who had sweetly inherited the affection with which the Duchess had r

I will never forgive

ht to keep it from him. If Mr. Tregear really loves you"-Lady Mary smiled at the doubt implied by this suggestion-"he ought to feel that for your sa

d. Under Mrs. Finn's directions she wrote a note to her lover, which Mrs. Finn saw, and then undertook to send it, with a letter from herself, to Mr. Tregear's address in Londo

est

t particular friend. Please go to her, as she will ask you to do. W

r ever a

.

few words from herself, asking the gentleman to call