quite within the scope of her imagination to depict the temptations
of a powerful and aspiring mind reduced to bondage and inaction by the
development of inherited disease: to herself it would have been of all
fates the most terrible, and thus she fancied it for him. But in Harry
Musgrave's nature there was no bitterness or fierce revolt, no angry
sarcasm against an unjust world or stinging remorse for fault of his
own. Defeat was his destiny, and he bowed to it as the old Greek heroes
bowed to the decree of the gods, and laughed sometimes at the impotence
of misfortune to fetter the free flight of his thoughts. And Elizabeth
was his angel of peace.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

_CERTAIN OPINIONS_.

The house that Lady Latimer always occupied on her visits to Ryde was
away from the town and the pier, amongst the green fields going out
towards Binstead. It had a shaded garden down to the sea, and a
landing-place of its own when the tide was in. A balcony, looking north,
made the narrow drawing-room spacious, and my lady and her despatch-box
were established in a cool room below, adjoining the dining-parlor. She
did not like the pier or the strand, with their shoals of company in the
season, and took her drives out on the white roads to Wootton and
Newport, Osborne and Cowes, commonly accompanied by some poor friend to
whom a drive was an unfrequent pleasure. She never trusted herself to a
small boat, and as for the wherry that bore Harry Musgrave and Elizabeth
every morning flying before the wind for three delicious hours, she
appreciated its boasted safety so slightly that she was always relieved
to see them safe back again, whether they landed at the foot of the
garden or came through the town. It was beautiful weather, with fine
fresh breezes all the week, and Harry looked and felt so much like a new
man at the end of it that my lady insisted on his remaining a second
week, when they would all return to the Forest together. He had given
her the highest satisfaction by so visibly taking the benefit of her
hospitality, and had made great way in her private esteem besides.
Amongst her many friends and acquaintances then at Ryde, for every day's
dinner she chose one gentleman for the sake of good talk that Mr. Harry
Musgrave might not tire, and the breadth and diversity of the young
man's knowledge and interests surprised her.

One evening after some especially amusing conversation with a travelled
doctor, who was great