ill have been his goodness, if he is to rob me of the
very treasure which his goodness helped to save? Is he to have all,
because he gave some aid? Is he to take from me my heart's blood,
because he bound up my arm when it was bruised? Because he helped me
some steps on earth, is he to imprison me afterwards in hell? Good!
No, he is not good in wishing so to destroy us. He is bad, greedy,
covetous, self-seeking, a very dog, and by the living God he shall
die like a dog unless you will free me from his fangs. You have not
answered me. Will you tell me that you will discard him as a suitor
for your hand? If you will say so, he shall receive tenfold reward
for his--goodness. Answer me, Anna;--I claim an answer from you."

"Mamma!"

"Speak, if you have anything to say. And remember the commandment,
Honour thy--" But she broke down, when she too remembered it, and
bore in mind that the precept would have called upon her daughter to
honour the memory of the deceased Earl. "But if you cannot do it for
love, you will never do it for duty."

"Mamma, I am sure of one thing."

"Of what are you sure?"

"That I ought to be allowed to see him before I give him up."

"You shall never be allowed to see him."

"Listen to me, mamma, for a moment. When he asked me to--love him, we
were equals."

"I deny it. You were never equals."

"We lived as such,--except in this, that they had money for our
wants, and we had none to repay them."

"Money can have nothing to do with it."

"Only that we took it. And then he was everything to us. It seemed as
though it would be impossible to refuse anything that he asked. It
was impossible to me. As to being noble, I am sure that he was noble.
You always used to say that nobody else ever was so good as those
two. Did you not say so, mamma?"

"If I praise my horse or my dog, do I say that they are of the same
nature as myself?"

"But he is a man; quite as much a man as,--as any man could be."

"You mean that you will not do as I bid you."

"Let me see him, mamma. Let me see him but once. If I might see him,
perhaps I might do as you wish--about him. I cannot say anything more
unless I may see him."

The Countess still stormed and still threatened, but she could not
move her daughter. She also found that the child had inherited
particles of the nature of her parents. But it was necessary that
some arrangement should be made as to the future life, both of Lady
Anna and of herself. She m