ed to harrow your feelings with
such--'

'O God! how long has this been going on? How long has it been, Mrs.
Huntingdon?--Tell me--I must know!' exclaimed, with intense and fearful
eagerness.

'Two years, I believe.'

'Great heaven! and she has duped me all this time!' He turned away with
a suppressed groan of agony, and paced the room again in a paroxysm of
renewed agitation. My heart smote me; but I would try to console him,
though I knew not how to attempt it.

'She is a wicked woman,' I said. 'She has basely deceived and betrayed
you. She is as little worthy of your regret as she was of your
affection. Let her injure you no further; abstract yourself from her,
and stand alone.'

'And you, Madam,' said he sternly, arresting himself, and turning round
upon me, 'you have injured me too by this ungenerous concealment!'

There was a sudden revulsion in my feelings. Something rose within me,
and urged me to resent this harsh return for my heartfelt sympathy, and
defend myself with answering severity. Happily, I did not yield to the
impulse. I saw his anguish as, suddenly smiting his forehead, he turned
abruptly to the window, and, looking upward at the placid sky, murmured
passionately, 'O God, that I might die!'--and felt that to add one drop
of bitterness to that already overflowing cup would be ungenerous indeed.
And yet I fear there was more coldness than gentleness in the quiet tone
of my reply:--'I might offer many excuses that some would admit to be
valid, but I will not attempt to enumerate them--'

'I know them,' said he hastily: 'you would say that it was no business of
yours: that I ought to have taken care of myself; that if my own
blindness has led me into this pit of hell, I have no right to blame
another for giving me credit for a larger amount of sagacity than I
possessed--'

'I confess I was wrong,' continued I, without regarding this bitter
interruption; 'but whether want of courage or mistaken kindness was the
cause of my error, I think you blame me too severely. I told Lady
Lowborough two weeks ago, the very hour she came, that I should certainly
think it my duty to inform you if she continued to deceive you: she gave
me full liberty to do so if I should see anything reprehensible or
suspicious in her conduct; I have seen nothing; and I trusted she had
altered her course.'

He continued gazing from the window while I spoke, and did not answer,
but, stung by the recollections my wo