ss delicacy."

"I will," said Lord Glenallan. "But first let me say, you do injustice
to the memory of the gentlest and kindest, as well as to the most
unhappy of women, to suppose she could make a jest of the honest
affection of a man like you. Frequently did she blame me, Mr. Oldbuck,
for indulging my levity at your expense--may I now presume you will
excuse the gay freedoms which then offended you?--my state of mind
has never since laid me under the necessity of apologizing for the
inadvertencies of a light and happy temper."

"My lord, you are fully pardoned," said Mr. Oldbuck. "You should be
aware, that, like all others, I was ignorant at the time that I placed
myself in competition with your lordship, and understood that Miss
Neville was in a state of dependence which might make her prefer a
competent independence and the hand of an honest man--But I am wasting
time--I would I could believe that the views entertained towards her by
others were as fair and honest as mine!"

"Mr. Oldbuck, you judge harshly."

"Not without cause, my lord. When I only, of all the magistrates of this
county--having neither, like some of them, the honour to be connected
with your powerful family--nor, like others, the meanness to fear it,--
when I made some inquiry into the manner of Miss Neville's death--I shake
you, my lord, but I must be plain--I do own I had every reason to believe
that she had met most unfair dealing, and had either been imposed upon
by a counterfeit marriage, or that very strong measures had been adopted
to stifle and destroy the evidence of a real union. And I cannot doubt
in my own mind, that this cruelty on your lordship's part, whether
coming of your own free will, or proceeding from the influence of the
late Countess, hurried the unfortunate young lady to the desperate act
by which her life was terminated."

"You are deceived, Mr. Oldbuck, into conclusions which are not just,
however naturally they flow from the circumstances. Believe me, I
respected you even when I was most embarrassed by your active attempts
to investigate our family misfortunes. You showed yourself more worthy
of Miss Neville than I, by the spirit with which you persisted in
vindicating her reputation even after her death. But the firm belief
that your well-meant efforts could only serve to bring to light a story
too horrible to be detailed, induced me to join my unhappy mother in
schemes to remove or destroy all evidence of the legal