but he must not
degrade his name--not even for his happiness. It was solicitude for him
that brought me here--I feared--"

Her voice broke; perhaps she had a vision of that tragedy fifty years
ago, when, at her mother's side, she had stared out through the mists of
the morning--

"But no matter," she added, hastily.

"May I ask, madame," inquired Rushford, "how marriage with my daughter
would degrade your nephew?"

"It is impossible, in the first place," she answered, readily, "that he
should marry the daughter of an inn-keeper."

"Of an inn-keeper?" repeated Rushford, in a puzzled tone.

"You are the proprietor of this inn, are you not?" demanded the
duchess. "Tellier, here has the papers. Come forward, Tellier."

"Oh, I understand," and Rushford laughed, not pleasantly. "No, I didn't
tell you, Susie," he added, catching his daughter's astonished glance.
"It was merely an escapade of mine. I was bored, and so I arranged with
Pelletan to have a little fun by backing the hotel for a month--Pelletan
had reached the end of his resources. He'd have had to shut up shop, and
I didn't want to move. I assure you, madame, that at home I am not an
inn-keeper. If I was, I shouldn't be in the least ashamed of it, unless
I were a bad one. Suppose we pass on to the next count."

There was a movement at the door and Nell came running to her father and
threw her arms about him. Cranford followed her and held out his hands.

"Congratulate me," he said, simply, but with shining face.

"I do," said Rushford, and kissed his daughter. "It seems we've got
your difficulty happily settled, Nell; but we've another on hand which
seems considerably more complicated. Now, madame, if you will proceed
with the indictment."

The duchess seemed a little shaken; after all, a man who could play with
great hotels demanded some consideration!

"The second reason is even more serious," she said, "at least, my nephew
seemed to so consider it. He laughed at the first one; he is still
young; he still believes in the nonsense of the romancers."

"Does he?" commented Rushford. "That's one point in his favour,
certainly. So he would have married my daughter, would he, even though I
did keep a hotel! That was kind of him! What's the next count, madame?"

"It is that your daughter, while pretending to be his advocate, was
really in the plot against him--a double traitor to him because posing
as his friend."

"In the plot?" cried Cranford. "But th