t for the present he had nothing
to do with the affair. Supposing the earl's assertion true, there was
at present no question as to the succession; before such question could
arise, Forgue might be dead; before that, his father might himself have
disclosed the secret; while, the longer Donal thought about it, the
greater was his doubt whether he had spoken the truth. The man who
could so make such a statement to his son concerning his mother, must
indeed have been capable of the wickedness assumed! but also the man
who could make such a statement was surely vile enough to lie! The
thing remained uncertain, and he was assuredly not called upon to act!

But how would Forgue carry himself? His behaviour now would decide or
at least determine his character. If he were indeed as honourable as he
wished to be thought, he would tell Eppy what had occurred, and set
himself at once to find some way of earning his and her bread, or at
least to become capable of earning it. He did not seem to cherish any
doubt of the truth of what had fallen in rage from his father's lips,
for, to judge by his appearance, to the few and brief glances Donal had
of him during the next week or so, the iron had sunk into his soul: he
looked more wretched than Donal could have believed it possible for man
to be--abject quite. It manifested very plainly what a miserable thing,
how weak and weakening, is the pride of this world. One who could be so
cast down, was hardly one, alas, of whom to expect any greatness of
action! He was not likely to have honesty or courage enough to decline
a succession that was not his--even though it would leave his way clear
to marry Eppy. Whether any of Forgue's misery arose from the fact that
Donal had been present at the exposure of his position, Donal could not
tell; but he could hardly fail to regard him as a dangerous holder of
his secret--one who would be more than ready to take hostile action in
the matter! At the same time, such had seemed the paralysing influence
of the shock upon him, that Donal doubted if he had been, at any time
during the interview, so much aware of his presence as not to have
forgotten it entirely before he came to himself. Had he remembered the
fact, would he not have come to him to attempt securing his complicity?
If he meant to do right, why did he hesitate?--there was but one way,
and that plain before him!

But presently Donal began to see many things an equivocating demon
might urge: t