che of which her father complained to
have been at all aware of the previous self-indulgence which must have
brought it on. This very afternoon, as ill-luck would have it, the Duke
of Hinton and a gentleman whom Ralph had met in town at Lord Bolton's
rode by, and recognised him; saw Ralph supporting a tipsy man with such
quiet friendly interest as must show all passers-by that they were
previous friends. Mr. Corbet chafed and fumed inwardly all the way home
after this unfortunate occurrence; he was in a thoroughly evil temper
before they reached Ford Bank, but he had too much self-command to let
this be very apparent. He turned into the shrubbery paths, leaving
Ellinor to take her father into the quietness of his own room, there to
lie down and shake off his headache.

Ralph walked along, ruminating in gloomy mood as to what was to be done;
how he could best extricate himself from the miserable relation in which
he had placed himself by giving way to impulse. Almost before he was
aware, a little hand stole within his folded arms, and Ellinor's sweet
sad eyes looked into his.

"I have put papa down for an hour's rest before dinner," said she. "His
head seems to ache terribly."

Ralph was silent and unsympathising, trying to nerve himself up to be
disagreeable, but finding it difficult in the face of such sweet trust.

"Do you remember our conversation last autumn, Ellinor?" he began at
length.

Her head sunk. They were near a garden-seat, and she quietly sat down,
without speaking.

"About some disgrace which you then fancied hung over you?" No answer.
"Does it still hang over you?"

"Yes!" she whispered, with a heavy sigh.

"And your father knows this, of course?"

"Yes!" again, in the same tone; and then silence.

"I think it is doing him harm," at length Ralph went on, decidedly.

"I am afraid it is," she said, in a low tone.

"I wish you would tell me what it is," he said, a little impatiently. "I
might be able to help you about it."

"No! you could not," replied Ellinor. "I was sorry to my very heart to
tell you what I did; I did not want help; all that is past. But I wanted
to know if you thought that a person situated as I was, was justified in
marrying any one ignorant of what might happen, what I do hope and trust
never will."

"But if I don't know what you are alluding to in this mysterious way, you
must see--don't you see, love?--I am in the position of the ignorant man
whom I think