love? She was indeed a widow, but not as are other widows.
She had confessed, did hourly confess to herself, the guilt which she
had committed in marrying that man; but the very fact of such
confessions, of such acknowledgment, absolved her from the necessity of
any show of sorrow. When she declared how she had despised and hated her
late lord, she threw off mentally all her weeds. Mourning, the
appearance even of mourning, became impossible to her, and the cap upon
her head was declared openly to be a sacrifice to the world's
requirements. It was now pushed back, but I fancy that nothing like a
thought on the matter had made itself plain to her mind. "What you must
do for me is this," she continued. "You must see Count Pateroff again,
and tell him from me--as my friend--that I cannot consent to see him.
Tell him that if he will think of it, he must know the reason why."

"Of course he will know."

"Tell him what I say, all the same; and tell him that as I have hitherto
had cause to be grateful to him for his kindness, so also I hope he will
not put an end to that feeling by anything now, that would not be kind.
If there be papers of Lord Ongar's, he can take them either to my
lawyers, if that be fit, or to those of the family. You can tell him
that, can you not?"

"Oh, yes; I can tell him."

"And have you any objection?"

"None for myself. But would it not come better from some one else?"

"Because you are a young man, you mean? Whom else can I trust, Harry? To
whom can I go? Would you have me to ask Hugh to do this? Or, would
Archie Clavering be a proper messenger? Whom else have I?"

"Would not his sister be better?"

"How should I know that she had told him? She would tell him her own
story--what she herself wished. And whatever story she told, he would
not believe it. They know each other better than you and I know them. It
must be you, Harry, if you will do it."

"Of course I will. I will try to-morrow. Where does he live?"

"How should I know? Perhaps nobody knows; no one, perhaps, of all those
with whom he associates constantly. They do not live after our fashion,
do they, these foreigners? But you will find him at his club, or hear of
him at the house in Mount Street. You will do it; eh, Harry?"

"I will."

"That is my good Harry. But I suppose you would do anything I asked you.
Ah, well; it is good to have one friend, if one has no more. Look,
Harry! if it is not near eleven o'clock! Did you kno