Then, when he turned round to greet her, he was
astonished by the blackness of her appearance. She looked as though
she had become ten years older since he had last seen her. As she
came up to him she was grave and almost solemn in her gait, but there
was no sign of any tears. Why should there have been a tear? Women
weep, and men too, not from grief, but from emotion. Indeed, grave
and slow as was her step, and serious, almost solemn, as was her
gait, there was something of a smile on her mouth as she gave him her
hand. And yet her face was very sad, declaring to him too plainly
something of the hopelessness of her heart. "And so the Duke has
consented," she said. He had told her that in his letter, but, since
that, her father had died, and she had been left, he did not as yet
know how far impoverished, but, he feared, with no pleasant worldly
prospects before her.

"Yes, Mabel;--that I suppose will be settled. I have been so shocked
to hear all this."

"It has been very sad;--has it not? Sit down, Frank. You and I have a
good deal to say to each other now that we have met. It was no good
your going down to Brighton. He would not have seen you, and at last
I never left him."

"Was Percival there?" She only shook her head. "That was dreadful."

"It was not Percival's fault. He would not see him; nor till the
last hour or two would he believe in his own danger. Nor was he ever
frightened for a moment,--not even then."

"Was he good to you?"

"Good to me! Well;--he liked my being there. Poor papa! It had gone
so far with him that he could not be good to any one. I think that he
felt that it would be unmanly not to be the same to the end."

"He would not see Percival."

"When it was suggested he would only ask what good Percival could do
him. I did send for him at last, in my terror, but he did not see his
father alive. When he did come he only told me how badly his father
had treated him! It was very dreadful!"

"I did so feel for you."

"I am sure you did, and will. After all, Frank, I think that the
pious godly people have the best of it in this world. Let them be
ever so covetous, ever so false, ever so hard-hearted, the mere fact
that they must keep up appearances, makes them comfortable to those
around them. Poor papa was not comfortable to me. A little hypocrisy,
a little sacrifice to the feelings of the world, may be such a
blessing."

"I am sorry that you should feel it so."

"Yes; it is sad. But