as the weak agent in a forced marriage. That paragraph in
the Indian paper had certainly caused a great change to take place in
her estimate of his character; but, in spite of this, the old
contempt still remained, and she had reckoned upon finding beneath
the mature man, brave though he was, and even wise though he might
be, much of that boy whom she had despised. But all this passed away
as a dream, out of which she had a rude awakening. She awoke suddenly
to the full reality, to find him a strong, stern, proud man, to whom
her own strength was as weakness. While he uttered his grand
maledictions against her he seemed to her like a god. He was a mighty
being, to whom she looked up from the depths of her soul, half in
fear, half in adoration. In her weakness she admired his strength;
and in her wily and tortuous subtlety she worshiped this
straightforward and upright gentleman, who scorned craft and cunning,
and who had sat in stern judgment upon her, to make known to her _his
will_.

For some time she sat looking at him as he stood, with her whole
nature shaken by these new, these unparalleled emotions, till,
finally, with a start, she came to herself, and, rising slowly, she
glided out of the room.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

AN EFFORT AT CONCILIATION.

Lord Chetwynde's occupations kept him for the greater part of his
time in his father's library, where he busied himself in examining
papers. Many of these he read and restored to their places, but some
he put aside, in order to take them with him. Of the new steward he
took no notice whatever. He considered the dismissal of the old one
and the appointment of Gualtier one of those abominable acts which
were consistent with all the other acts of that woman whom he
supposed to be his wife. Besides, the papers which he sought had
reference to the past, and had no connection with the affairs of the
present. In the intervals of his occupation he used to go about the
grounds, visiting every one of those well-known places which were
associated with his childhood and boyhood. He sought out his father's
grave, and stood musing there with feelings which were made up of
sadness, mingled with something like reproach for the fearful mistake
which his father had made in the allotment of the son's destiny.
True, he had been one of the consenting parties; but when he first
gave that consent he was little more than a boy, and not at all
capable of comprehending the full meaning