k to be nursed by my family," says he. "If Frank had not
taken care of me after my wound, very likely I should have gone
altogether."

"Poor Frank, good Frank!" says his mother. "You'll always be kind to him,
my lord," she went on. "The poor child never knew he was doing you a
wrong."

"My lord!" cries out Colonel Esmond. "What do you mean, dear lady?"

"I am no lady," says she; "I am Rachel Esmond, Francis Esmond's widow, my
lord. I cannot bear that title. Would we never had taken it from him who
has it now. But we did all in our power, Henry: we did all in our power;
and my lord and I--that is----"

"Who told you this tale, dearest lady?" asked the colonel.

"Have you not had the letter I writ you? I writ to you at Mons directly I
heard it," says Lady Esmond.

"And from whom?" again asked Colonel Esmond--and his mistress then told him
that on her death-bed the dowager countess, sending for her, had presented
her with this dismal secret as a legacy. "'Twas very malicious of the
dowager," Lady Esmond said, "to have had it so long, and to have kept the
truth from me. 'Cousin Rachel,' she said," and Esmond's mistress could not
forbear smiling as she told the story, " 'cousin Rachel,' cries the
dowager, 'I have sent for you, as the doctors say I may go off any day in
this dysentery; and to ease my conscience of a great load that has been on
it. You always have been a poor creature and unfit for great honour, and
what I have to say won't, therefore, affect you so much. You must know,
cousin Rachel, that I have left my house, plate, and furniture, three
thousand pounds in money, and my diamonds that my late revered saint and
sovereign, King James, presented me with, to my Lord Viscount Castlewood.'

" 'To my Frank?' " says Lady Castlewood: " 'I was in hopes----

" 'To Viscount Castlewood, my dear, Viscount Castlewood, and Baron Esmond
of Shandon in the kingdom of Ireland, Earl and Marquis of Esmond under
patent of his Majesty King James the Second, conferred upon my husband the
late marquis--for I am Marchioness of Esmond before God and man.'

" 'And have you left poor Harry nothing, dear marchioness?' " asks Lady
Castlewood (she hath told me the story completely since with her quiet
arch way; the most charming any woman ever had: and I set down the
narrative here at length so as to have done with it). " 'And have you left
poor Harry nothing?' " asks my dear lady: "for you know, Henry," she says
with her sweet smile