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most fortunate woman in the whole regiment) that his father and mother had world."

Alice laughed.

"Very well," she said; "but I shall still continue to say, I wish you would marry Sir Stephen. I have thought about it since first I saw you together."

both died while he was a very young child, and that he knew little or nothing about them, as his uncle, wishing to be regarded with parental affection, was always extremely reticent on the subject.

"So very strange,” said his sharp questioner, "for, happening to mention you to some friends of mine, they said they used to know Mr. Despard years ago, but they never heard he had a brother, though they knew of a sister."

"Don't say so any more," said Hero gravely. "Of course I know the whole thing exists only in your imagination; but, if it did not, and he asked me twenty times, I should say No. Why, Alice, I love Leo with all my heart. There, I de- 66 Really!" said Leo, with assumed inclare you have made me blush!" and she difference. "Ah! I expect, my poor put up her hands to cover her face. With-father was not regarded as much credit drawing them the next moment, she added, to his family. I suppose they looked "Not that I am one bit ashamed if all the upon a man, who could in a few years run world heard me, for I am proud of my love through a large fortune, as something and that he has given his love to me." second only to a criminal."

And had he given her his love? Yes; for as much as was in him to love any one, Leo Despard loved Hero Carthew. He could not change his nature, which was to care more for himself than for anybody else; but second to the worship of self, came his feeling for Hero. Perhaps combined with this was no small amount of vanity, for he knew himself envied by all the young fellows at Mallett as the fortunate suitor, who, in spite of their constant opportunities, had made the most of a short visit, and secured the prize they were all coveting. In his inward reveries Leo could not but regard Hero as a singularly fortunate being "for," he would say, "I've had capital opportunities, if I'd chosen to go in for rank or money, and it isn't every man would be constant to a girl without a stiver, as I do. Oh, dear! wish she had a fortune, or I had, or somebody connected with us had, for she's awfully pretty, and very good style too when I take the country rust off her."

"Indeed! your mother's money, I presume?

"Oh, yes; the Despards have not been burdened in that way for years," laughed Leo; "the name is about all we have to boast of; that's pretty good, I believe — at least my poor uncle used to tell me about our past glories—our coming over with the Conqueror, and so on; it pleased him, dear old man, though to me it is but sorry satisfaction to be descended from a line, who have left nothing behind them but the boast of Quixotic deeds, by which they contrived to ruin their family."

Then, having already discovered the lady's weakness, he adroitly turned the conversation to the peerage generally; and, plying her with questions relating to her intimates of exalted rank, he escaped further questioning, and was from that moment regarded by Mrs. Fitzgerald as a very gentlemanly young man. She gave out (embellishing his story with native talent) that he was the son of a man of good family, who married an heir

himself and her in a few years; that his uncle, old Walter Despard, an excellent man, but very eccentric, had brought him up and adopted him, and of course at his death had left him everything that he possessed.

Poor Leo! he was always sighing after money, and envying the fortunate posses-ess, ran through her money, and killed sors of that, to him, all powerful talisman. Naturally of a weak character with strong faults, his home training had been most injudicious. Every one yielded to his wishes, pampered his vanity, and glossed over his imperfections. The world, he found, was not inclined to be so indulgent, therefore, Nothing could have been more fortuhaving made up his mind to be a favourite, nate for Leo than this excellent woman's he set to work to accomplish his desire, appropriation of every kind of knowledge. and so happily did he succeed, that in a She always spoke of persons by their short time he was voted by his brother Christian names, and with an air of such officers a first-rate fellow, and a capital intimate acquaintanceship, that even companion. He spoke of himself as being those who knew her peculiarities best the nephew and adopted son of the late rec-were never sure how much they ought to tor of Mallett; and told the colonel's wife believe, and what they should give no (who made it her business to find out every credit to. There being nothing improbathing concerning each fresh comer to the ble in this narration, it was allowed to VOL. II. 76

LIVING AGE.

pass, and now was so thoroughly believed | boy, who, he said, had been the solace and in, that even Leo himself accepted it, and answered any questions or allusions, without the slightest qualms of conscience for propagating a story, which he took immense credit for not inventing.

Among the people who for many years were most interested about his origin, the one least concerned was Leo. As a child he had asked now and again about his dead father and mother, and was satisfied with a simple reply to his question. Later on he grew more inquisitive; but it was not until just before he obtained his commission, that the old rector felt obliged to tell him something of the truth; but even then, shrinking from inflicting a wound on the pride of the handsome boy, whom he loved with weak tenderness, he kept back whatever he could, and all Leo learned in this and future conversations was, that he had no right to the name of Despard, nor any legitimate claim on any other name; that his mother's origin was humble; that she had in some way attracted the notice of his father, who had been an early friend and college chum of Mr. Despard's. His father's name was Bernard, he had been of no profession, and had lived on bad terms with his family, who allowed him an income for his support. For some years before and after Leo's birth, Mr. Despard had lost sight of his friend, except that he knew he was living in Wales, and that Leo's mother passed as his wife. Suddenly something happened which caused Mr. Bernard to break this tie, and he came to Mr. Despard, who, with Aunt Lydia, was living in London, and asked him to take charge of the child, whose mother had deserted it. To this he consented, and soon became so attached to him that parting was never spoken of; the father had an aversion to see his son, and no inducement on Mr. Despard's part could overcome this prejudice. He kept away from the house, and, except on rare occasions and by letters, they held no communication. When Leo was about nine years old, his father wrote saying that he had just received intelligence of the mother's death, and that now he intended seeing the boy, and taking an interest in him. He appointed a day to pay them a visit; but before that day arrived, Mr. Despard was informed of his death, which was sudden, and the result of excitement, consequent on the failure of a speculation which had ruined him.

As there was no one to claim him, Mr. Despard gladly adopted the orphaned

comfort of his life. Naturally Leo asked many more questions, but this was the sum total of the knowledge he obtained, and with his usual discrimination, he saw that the less he knew the less he had to hide. As, therefore, there was nothing to be gained by being placed au courant with his history, his wisest course was to accept the present and ignore the past. Few men were more popular than Leo. He seemed to make fresh friends wherever the regiment happened to be, and these, too, were invariably the best people in the best set.

What wonder then that Mallett seemed dull to him, and its inhabitants, excepting Leo, insupportably uninteresting. Besides, he knew that much of his history was known there, and this caused him to dislike the place. He felt that his attachment to Hero was the great weakness of his life, still he cared for her more than for any other girl he had ever seen; and he had made up his mind, that as soon as he conveniently could, he would marry her, and, to use his own expression, cut Mallett altogether. "If her old father and Aunt Lydia would only drop off the hooks," he would say, "I could clear myself of these abominable duns. But there's no such luck. In a place like that, they live as long as they like. I wonder how I shall get through the time there!"-for, in consequence of a letter which he had received from Hero, he had applied to get the charge of some forts that were to be built close to Combe; and if he obtained the appointment, he would probably spend three or four months there, a longer time than he and Hero had yet been together.

CHAPTER X.

66 THAT EXTREME SIMPLICITY."

SIR STEPHEN found Mrs. Labouchere still staying with his mother, unable to resist the pleasure of meeting him, although her judgment told her that it would be wiser for them to see less of each other.

She gave some slight excuse for having delayed her intended departure, adding, "I have been trying to persuade aunt to go down to Cumberland with me; I think it might give her strength, for she has not seemed at all well lately. Indeed, that is one reason why I have remained here; I hardly liked leaving her alone."

"Thank you very much," said Sir Ste

phen. "I always feel she is perfectly safe when you are with her; I do not know what she would do without you now."

"I do not know what I should do without her," replied Katherine, without looking up; "she is the same to me that she ever was. Most other things have so changed."

"Yes, that's true," said Sir Stephen complacently; "it's wonderful how things alter."

"And people too, I think."

delighted to gratify them; I had no idea the people were sufficiently cultivated to care about such a thing as fashion."

"Nonsense, mother; why you forgot that they are but six miles from Dockmouth, one of our largest naval ports." . "I thought you told me that you had a drive of twenty miles."

"So I did, but that was because I knew nothing of the boat, and drove there." "Boat! oh! is there a steamboat?" "No, a sailing boat; a steamer would never do there. You have no idea of the

"Well, I suppose they do; as they get wildness of the placė; magnificent rocks older they get wiser and

"Colder."

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"No, I do not know that that is always the case; less demonstrative, perhaps, but I should be sorry to think I had less power of feeling now than I possessed years ago."

"You have attained the power of keeping it remarkably under control;" and Katherine, whose voice shook with suppressed emotion, and whose pale face had turned crimson, got up quickly and went out of the room.

"What on earth does she mean now?" exclaimed Sir Stephen as soon as the door had closed upon her; "I have never been favoured with anything of this kind before;" and he sat reflecting for some minutes. Then, resuming his newspaper with a relieved air, he decided that it meant nothing but a desire that he should be more cousinly, and take a greater interest in her property, about which she had often endeavoured to get his advice. Katherine had a great deal more pride than to affect the rôle of a love-sick girl. She had scrupulously endeavoured that Sir Stephen should see none of her plans, and, as, after the first meeting, there had been nothing in her manner towards him which could excite his suspicions, he had come to the conclusion that she was willing to accept matters as they stood. Her annoyance at having, as she conceived, betrayed her feelings, was excessive; and, exaggerating her words and manner to herself, she felt overwhelmed with shame at the thought of meeting him again. He had, however, dismissed the matter from his mind, and was already intent on giving his mother a favourable impression of Mallett.

"I am longing for you to go down there. mother," he said; "I can fancy the sensation your caps and bonnets will produce."

Mrs. Prescott smiled pleasantly. "Poor ladies," she said, "I am sure I should be

running out in all directions, and a surf that dashes against them with tremendous force."

"Dear me!" said Mrs. Prescott, not entering at all into her son's enthusiasm ; "but of course one never need go by water?"

"No; but I'll take odds you will not have been there a week before you will thoroughly enjoy a sail.”

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Stephen!"

"You will, I assure you, mother; not at first, I know, for I hesitated at taking Miss Carthew, it looked so rough, but she assured me that it would be all right outside, and it was like glass." Really!" " said Mrs. Prescott. "Miss Carthew, did you say?"

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"Yes, Captain Carthew lost his wife when his daughter was born." "Indeed! Rather an elderly Miss, I suppose?"

"No, a very young girl."

"You have not mentioned her before," said Mrs. Prescott after a pause, during which she had eyed her son sharply. Only unconcern, however, was to be seen in his face.

"Did I not? I was very much engrossed while I was there; the place is in a sad condition. It will take far more time than I can give to it in one summer to get it into anything like decent condition."

"I hope you are not thinking of spending money on it, Stephen," said Mrs. Prescott dolefully; "it brings you in next to nothing, and you will never find a tenant for it."

"Perhaps some day I may go and live there myself," Sir Stephen answered, with a laugh. "It is getting high time for me to settle down and marry, if I am ever to do so." Mrs. Prescott's manner brightened. Here was a little opening

for the introduction of her favourite scheme, which of late she had thought best to keep in abeyance.

Sir Stephen tried to control himself by

"Nonsense, my dear," she said cheer- | heard-of district, is most unnatural and fully. "I hope when you marry, you will unaccountable." contrive to fix upon some one who will bring grist enough to the mill to set Pam-changing his chair and his position. phillon going again. It has been the dream of my life to see you there, Stephen. You have been cruelly dispossessed of your inheritance, but there is no doubt but your uncle was mad, quite mad, and had been so for many years."

Sir Stephen shook his head. "Whether he was mad or sane, I don't know; but this I know, that I wish he had contrived that any one but me should have been saddled with his ruined estate. It has fettered my whole life, and kept me poor, and made me discontented."

Mrs. Prescott's thin, careworn face twitched, her mouth worked nervously, and her eyes filled with tears.

"You take a painfully exaggerated view of things, Stephen," she said, in a voice that threatened an outburst of tears, to avoid which her son got up, and, taking her hand, said, soothingly

66

Now, mother, don't misinterpret my words. You always take anything I say about this as a reproach to yourself, which is so very absurd. You could not prevent my uncle gambling away his inheritance; you had nothing to do with the law that made me heir to a beggared baronetcy. God knows! you did your duty, if ever any woman did, and you will have your reward, mother; I shall never be able to repay you all you have suffered and borne for me. There, there," he added, kissing her affectionately, "don't think anything more of it, or you'll be getting one of your bad attacks. I only wish we could settle, and have done with the whole thing. I never shall understand your unaccountable opposition to selling the place. That is the only sensible course.'

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"As usual in these discussions, you are putting the matter in quite a wrong light, mother. My feelings have nothing to do with a thing about which I have not the slightest choice. If I had a sufficient income to keep up both estates, I should do so; or if by selling Combe I could keep Pamphillon, I should be only too willing to do it. I can tell you that it will be no light matter to see the old place go from me. But how do I stand? The owner of two estates for which I can do nothing—the houses upon them are tumbling down for want of proper repairs, the people are sickly from bad drainage, and brutalized from the way in which they are compelled to herd together."

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"I am sure you do all you can for them," said Mrs. Prescott stolidly; live in the quietest manner possible; you are constantly straitened, through building for this one, and repairing for that one, and what on earth more can they expect?"

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Why, this, that if I cannot afford to do what as holder of the land it is my duty to do, I should give up my authority to a man who could live among them, raise them by his influence, and exercise beneficially the only right by which he should hold mastery. the power to advance the well-being of the fellow-creatures dependent upon us."

"Oh, dear, dear!" exclaimed Mrs. Prescott; "these new-fashioned sentiments are quite beyond me. In my day it was enough that a place belonged to a family, and that they did their best for those who lived upon the land. No Quixotic notions then existed about giving up an inheritance because you couldn't afford to build model cottages upon it, and introduce a heap of new inventions, "I will never give my consent to your which, though they may be called imselling Pamphillon. I would bear any-provements, tend to nothing so much as thing rather than see you part with the making people discontented with their condition of life."

Mrs. Prescott's whole aspect underwent a sudden change. Her weakness vanished, her face altered, as she said, in a passionate voice

estate."

"The old cry," said Sir Stephen, in a vexed tone. "Now, mother, I ask you, or any one, what possible reason is there in what you say?"

"Every reason," replied Mrs. Prescott, "and every person with a grain of feeling would admit, that the idea of a man selling a place which has belonged for hundreds of years to his family, and keeping another in a wild, out-of-the-way, un

"It is quite useless to attempt to reason with you, my dear mother," said Sir Stephen, hopelessly; "but if you would try and remember that the world does not stand still, and that its progress is not entirely confined to one class of society, you will find that all people in the present day are forming a pretty correct notion of what should exist, and what may not be tolerated. Don't think," he

added, “that what I contemplate doing is | a pleasant task to me. I shrink from putting my plan into practice, but how am I to avoid making the sacrifice?"

"If you are bent upon sacrifice, there are more ways than one of making yourself a martyr."

"Perhaps so," said her son in a despondent tone; "but I see no other way of obtaining a sufficient income for my purpose."

"There is marriage ;" and this time Mrs. Prescott felt her voice quiver. "Were I you, rather than part with Pamphillon, I should take a wife with a fortune ample enough to enable me to carry out these plans, which you seem to consider an essential part of a landlord's duty."

"Ah! it is rather difficult to meet such wives nowadays."

Mrs. Prescott's face assumed an expression between a sneer and a smile.

"So I should fancy," she said, “by the way in which a woman known to have money is run after. It is positively offensive to see the way in which some men pursue Katherine, and without ever having received from her a word, or a look of encouragement."

"Indeed! I forgot that she was in the

matrimonial market."

"Then you are more obtuse than your friends, my dear; " and Mrs. Prescott, nettled by the tone of his remark, drew herself up as she added, "I assure you, if Katherine felt so disposed, she might wear a coronet."

66

mother, and we have wandered entirely away from the original discussion. Mrs. Labouchere can have nothing to do with my keeping or parting with Pamphillon, and still less with my marrying or being given in marriage.”

Mrs. Prescott did not answer. She was thinking over what her son had said. Had he really made up his mind to set about this business? or could she avert the trouble, as she had done before?

"Stephen," she said earnestly, "wiH you give me a promise?"

66

Certainly, if it is in my power to keep it, and if it is within reason."

"Will you promise me not to take any steps in this plan of getting rid of Pamphillon, until you have been to Combe again and seen, by the experience of living there for a time, whether it would be possible for you to live there all your life."

Sir Stephen seemed to hesitate.

"I will promise to go down with you," said his mother.

"In that case, decidedly, I say, Yes." "And I have your promise that you will not speak a word about selling to Simpson or to your agent?"

"Yes, I give you my word to remain perfectly passive until we have been to Mallett."

"Thank you."

And with a feeling of respite, Mrs. Prescott went to her own room, locked the door, and sitting down, drew a sigh of relief.

"What shall I do?" she murmured And why is she not so disposed? after a few minutes of silent meditation. Does grief for the late Mr. Labouchere "Am I never to know rest? Ah! if my preclude even that consolation? What a life could be written, what a warning it striking illustration of conjugal fidelity!" | would be to those who are prone to give "You adopt anything but a nice tone in speaking of Katherine," said Mrs. Prescott, assuming her most injured air. "You seem to forget, Stephen, that she is my niece."

"I beg your pardon, mother. I never think of her as anything else."

"We all know," added Mrs. Prescott, "that she was guilty of great apparent inconsistency, and, no doubt, she committed a very grave mistake-but, gracious me, is Katherine the only one who has fallen into error? Are we not all open to temptation? and, if contrition and sorrow cannot induce forgiveness, I fear that it is but empty mockery, Stephen, to ask that our trespasses may be forgiven as we forgive those who trespass against us."

"I really don't see the application,

way to impulse! It seems to me now, as if in five minutes I destroyed my entire peace of mind. Not that I did it for my own sake, nor to secure anything for myself. God knows that I should have been

contented. But I could not see my fatherless boy defrauded, robbed by a man who acknowledged that he was mad. Ah! truly he has much to answer for! What right had he to remain silent about the state of his affairs? He must have known that he left nothing for his successor but beggary. If I had but known that, only known it, oh, how different my life would have been!"

"Who is that knocking?" she asked nervously, hearing some one tapping at the door.

"It's only I, aunt. Never mind if you are engaged, I will go down-stairs."

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