go."

When Mr. Carlyle came up in the evening, the earl was temporarily absent
from the room. Isabel began to speak of the concert.

"It is a hazardous venture for Mr. Kane," observed Mr. Carlyle. "I fear
he will only lose money, and add to his embarrassments."

"Why do you fear that?" she asked.

"Because, Lady Isabel, nothing gets patronized at West Lynne--nothing
native; and people have heard so long of poor Kane's necessities, that
they think little of them."

"Is he so very poor?"

"Very. He is starved half his time."

"Starved!" repeated Isabel, an expression of perplexity arising to her
face as she looked at Mr. Carlyle, for she scarcely understood him. "Do
you mean that he does not have enough to eat?"

"Of bread he may, but not much better nourishment. His salary, as
organist, is thirty pounds, and he gets a little stray teaching. But
he has his wife and children to keep, and no doubt serves them before
himself. I dare say he scarcely knows what it is to taste meat."

The words brought a bitter pang to Lady Isabel.

"Not enough to eat! Never to taste meat!" And she, in her carelessness,
her ignorance, her indifference--she scarcely knew what term to give
it--had not thought to order him a meal in their house of plenty! He had
walked from West Lynne, occupied himself an hour with her piano, and set
off to walk back again, battling with his hunger. A word from her, and
a repast had been set before him out of their superfluities such as he
never sat down to, and that word she had not spoken.

"You are looking grave, Lady Isabel."

"I'm taking contrition to myself. Never mind, it cannot now be helped,
but it will always be a dark spot on my memory."

"What is it?"

She lifted her repentant face to his and smiled. "Never mind, I say, Mr.
Carlyle; what is past cannot be recalled. He looks like a gentleman."

"Who? Kane? A gentleman bred; his father was a clergyman. Kane's ruin
was his love of music--it prevented his settling to any better paid
profession; his early marriage also was a drawback and kept him down. He
is young still."

"Mr. Carlyle I would not be one of your West Lynne people for the world.
Here is a young gentleman struggling with adversity, and you won't put
out your hand to help him!"

He smiled at her warmth. "Some of us will take tickets--I, for one; but
I don't know about attending the concert. I fear few would do that."

"Because that's just the thing that would serve him? I