ory of his mother's
marriage and of his own birth. Before they had reached Rome, where
the Duca di Crinola at present lived, and where he was at present a
member of the Italian Cabinet, the mother had told her son all that
she knew, having throughout the telling of the story unconsciously
manifested to him her own desire to remain in obscurity, and to bear
the name which had been hers for five-and-twenty years; but at the
same time so to manage that he should return to England bearing the
title to which by his birth she believed him to be entitled. When in
discussing this he explained to her that it would be still necessary
for him to earn his bread as a clerk in the Post Office in spite of
his high-sounding nobility, and explained to her the absurdity of
his sitting in Mr. Jerningham's room at the desk with young Crocker,
and calling himself at the same time the Duca di Crinola, she in her
arguments exhibited a weakness which he had hardly expected from her.
She spoke vaguely, but with an assurance of personal hope, of Lady
Frances, of Lord Hampstead, of the Marquis of Kingsbury, and of Lord
Persiflage,--as though by the means of these noble personages the
Duca di Crinola might be able to live in idleness. Of all this Roden
could say nothing in this first letter to Lady Frances. But it was to
this that he alluded when he hoped that she would not think better of
him because of the news which he sent her.

"At present," he wrote, continuing his letter after the telling of
the story,

we are staying with my uncle, as I presume I am entitled
to call him. He is very gracious, as also are his wife and
the young ladies who are my cousins; but I think that he
is as anxious as I am that there should be no acknowledged
branch of the family senior to his own. He is Duca di
Crinola to all Italy, and will remain so whether I assume
the title or not. Were I to take the name, and to remain
in Italy,--which is altogether impossible,--I should be
nobody. He who has made for himself a great position,
and apparently has ample means, would not in truth be
affected. But I am sure that he would not wish it. He is
actuated by a sense of honesty, but he certainly has no
desire to be incommoded by relatives who would, as regards
the family, claim to be superior to himself. My dearest
mother wishes to behave well to him, wishes to sacrifice
herself; but is, I fear, above all things, anxious