did she intend that her
cousin should be her lover,--in the ordinary sense of love. She was
far too wary in the pursuit of the world's goods to sacrifice herself
to any such wish as that. She did want him to help her about the
diamonds,--but such help as that she might have, as she knew well,
on much easier terms. There was probably an anxiety in her bosom to
cause him to be untrue to Lucy Morris; but the guiding motive of her
conduct was the desire to make things seem to be other than they
were. To be always acting a part rather than living her own life was
to her everything. "After all we must come to facts," he said, after
a while. "I suppose it will be better that you should marry Lord
Fawn."

"If you wish it."

"Nay;--I cannot have that said. In this matter you must rule yourself
by your own judgment. If you are averse to it--" She shook her head.
"Then you will own that it had better be so." Again she shook her
head. "Lizzie, for your sake and my own, I must declare, that if you
have no opinion in this matter, neither will I have any. You shall
never have to say that I pressed you into this marriage or debarred
you from marrying. I could not bear such an accusation."

"But you might tell me what I ought to do."

"No;--certainly not."

"Think how young I am, and,--by comparison,--how old you are. You
are eight years older than I am. Remember;--after all that I have
gone through, I am but twenty-two. At my age other girls have their
friends to tell them. I have no one,--unless you will tell me."

"You have accepted him?"

"Yes."

"I suppose he is not altogether indifferent to you?"

She paused, and again shook her head. "Indeed, I do not know. If you
mean, do I love him, as I could love some man whose heart was quite
congenial to my own, certainly I do not." She continued to shake her
head very sadly. "I esteemed him,--when he asked me."

"Say at once that, having made up your mind, you will go through with
it."

"You think that I ought?"

"You think so,--yourself."

"So be it, Frank. I will. But, Frank, I will not give up my property.
You do not wish me to do that. It would be weak, now;--would it not?
I am sure that it is my own."

"His faith to you should not depend on that."

"No, of course not; that is just what I mean. He can have no right
to interfere. When he asked me to be his wife, he said nothing about
that. But if he does not come to me, what shall I do?"

"I suppose I had better