arrassments. You are, of course, too
harassed, too much annoyed, too little accustomed to the energy and the
detail of business, to interfere with any effect; but surely a friend
might. You will not speak to my father, and perhaps you have your
reasons; but is there no one else? St. Maurice, I know, has no head. Ah!
George, I often feel that if your relations had been different people,
your fate might have been different. We are the fault.'

He kissed her hand.

'Among all your intimates,' she continued, 'is there no one fit to be
your counsellor, no one worthy of your confidence?'

'None,' said the Duke, bitterly, 'none, none. I have no friend among
those intimates: there is not a man of them who cares to serve or is
capable of serving me.'

'You have well considered?' asked Lady Caroline.

'Well, dear, well. I know them all by rote, head and heart. Ah! my dear,
dear Carry, if you were a man, what a nice little friend you would be!'

'You will always laugh, George. But I--I have no heart to laugh. This
breaking up of your affairs, this exile, this losing you whom we all
love, love so dearly, makes me quite miserable.'

He kissed her hand again.

'I dare say,' she continued, 'you have thought me as heartless as the
rest, because I never spoke. But I knew; that is, I feared; or, rather,
hoped that a great part of what I heard was false; and so I thought
notice was unnecessary, and might be painful. Yet, heaven knows, there
are few subjects that have been oftener in my thoughts, or cost me more
anxiety. Are you sure you have no friend?'

'I have you, Caroline. I did not say I had no friends: I said I had none
among those intimates you talked of; that there was no man among them
capable of the necessary interference, even if he were willing to
undertake it. But I am not friendless, not quite forlorn, dear! My fate
has given me a friend that I but little deserve: one whom, if I had
prized better, I should not perhaps have been obliged to put his
friendship to so severe a trial. To-morrow, Caroline, I depart for
Castle Dacre; there is my friend. Alas! how little have I deserved such
a boon!'

'Dacre!' exclaimed Lady Caroline, 'Mr. Dacre! Oh! you have made me so
happy, George! Mr. Dacre is the very, very person; that is, the very
best person you could possibly have applied to.'

'Good-bye, Caroline,' said his Grace, rising.

She burst into tears.

Never, never had she looked so lovely: never, never had he love