What did occur was not at all complicated. It would not have been possible for a woman to have spent her girlhood with the cleverest mother of her day and have emerged from her training either obstinate¹ or illogical. Lady Lothwell listened to as much of the history of Robin² as her mother chose to tell her and plainly felt an amiable³ interest in it. She knew much more detail and gossip concerning Mrs. Gareth-Lawless than the Duchess herself did. She had heard of the child who was kept out of sight, and she had been somewhat disgusted by a vague story of Lord Coombe’s abnormal interest in it and the ugly hint that he had an object in view. It was too unpleasantly morbid⁴ to be true of a man her mother had known for years.

 

“Of course you were not thinking of anything large or formal?” she said after a moment of smiling hesitation⁵.

 

“No. I am not launching a girl into society. I only want to help her to know a few nice young people who are good-natured and well-mannered. She is not the ordinary old lady’s companion and if she were not so strict with herself and with me, I confess I should behave towards her very much as I should behave to Kathryn if you could spare her to live with me. She is a heart-warming young thing. Because I am known to have one of my eccentric fancies for her and because after all her father was well connected, her present position will not be the obstacle. She is not the first modern girl who has chosen to support herself.”

 

“But isn’t she much too pretty?”

 

“Much. But she doesn’t flaunt⁶ it.”

 

“But heart-warming—and too pretty! Dearest mamma!” Lady Lothwell laughed again. “She can do no harm to Kathryn, but I own that if George were not at present quite madly in love with a darling being at least fifteen years older than himself I should pause to reflect. Mrs. Stacy will keep him steady—Mrs. Alan Stacy, you know—the one with the magnificent henna hair, and the eyes that

分享到：