girl, could fall in love with him, than
that she could with one of my serving men."

"Lady Verner, you should not say it!" burst forth Lucy, with vehemence,
as she turned her white face, her trembling lips, to Lady Verner.
"Surely I might refuse to marry Lord Garle without caring unduly for
another!"

Lady Verner looked quite aghast at the outburst. "My dear, does not this
prove that I am right?"

"But who is it?" interrupted Sir Henry Tempest.

"Alas!--Who! I could almost faint in telling it to you," groaned Lady
Verner. "My unfortunate son, Jan."

The relief was so great to Lucy; the revulsion of feeling so sudden; the
idea called up altogether so comical, that she clasped her hands one
within the other, and laughed out in glee.

"Oh, Lady Verner! Poor Jan! I never thought you meant him. Papa," she
said, turning eagerly to Sir Henry, "Jan is downright worthy and good,
but I should not like to marry him."

"Jan may be worthy; but he is not handsome," gravely remarked Sir Henry.

"He is better than handsome," returned Lucy. "I shall love Jan all my
life, papa; but not in that way."

Her perfect openness, her ease of manner, gave an earnest of the truth
with which she spoke; and Lady Verner was summarily relieved of the fear
which had haunted her rest.

"Why could you not have told me this before, Lucy?"

"Dear Lady Verner, how could I tell it you? How was I to know anything
about it?"

"True," said Lady Verner. "I _was_ simple; to suppose any young lady
could ever give a thought to that unfortunate Jan! You saw him, Sir
Henry. Only fancy _his_ being my son and his father's!"

"He is certainly not like either of you," was Sir Henry's reply. "Your
other son was like both. Very like his father."

"Ah! he _is_ a son!" spoke Lady Verner, in her enthusiasm. "A son worth
having; a son that his father would be proud of, were he alive.
Handsome, good, noble;--there are few like Lionel Verner. I spoke in
praise of Lord Garle, but he is not as Lionel. A good husband, a good
son, a good _man_. His conduct under his misfortunes was admirable."

"His misfortunes have been like a romance," remarked Sir Henry.

"More like that than reality. You will see him presently. I asked him to
dine with me, and expect him in momentarily. Ah, he has had trouble in
all ways. His wife brought him nothing else."

"Jan dropped a hint of that," said Sir Henry. "I should think he would
not be in a hurry to marry again!

"I should