mother to him.

"But is she not excellent?" said Herbert. "It is because she speaks
of you in such a way--"

"You would not wish to bring her into misery, because of her
excellence."

"But, mother, I am still a man," said Herbert. This was too much for
the suffering woman, the one fault of whose life had brought her son
to such a pass, and throwing her arm round his neck she wept upon his
shoulders.

There were other messengers went and came that day between Desmond
Court and Castle Richmond. Clara and her mother saw nothing of each
other early in the morning; they did not breakfast together, nor was
there a word said between them on the subject of the Fitzgeralds.
But Lady Desmond early in the morning--early for her that is--sent
her note also to Castle Richmond. It was addressed to Aunt Letty,
Miss Letitia Fitzgerald, and went to say that Lady Desmond was very
anxious to see Miss Letty. Under the present circumstances of the
family, as described to Lady Desmond by Mr. Herbert Fitzgerald, she
felt that she could not ask to see "his mother;"--it was thus that
she overcame the difficulty which presented itself to her as to the
proper title now to be given to Lady Fitzgerald;--but perhaps Miss
Letty would be good enough to see her, if she called at such and such
an hour. Aunt Letty, much perplexed, had nothing for it, but to say
that she would see her. The countess must now be looked on as closely
connected with the family--at any rate until that match were broken
off; and therefore Aunt Letty had no alternative. And so, precisely
at the hour named, the countess and Aunt Letty were seated together
in the little breakfast-room of which mention has before been made.

No two women were ever closeted together who were more unlike each
other,--except that they had one common strong love for family rank.
But in Aunt Letty it must be acknowledged that this passion was not
unwholesome or malevolent in its course of action. She delighted in
being a Fitzgerald, and in knowing that her branch of the Fitzgeralds
had been considerable people ever since her Norman ancestor had come
over to Ireland with Strongbow. But then she had a useful idea that
considerable people should do a considerable deal of good. Her family
pride operated more inwardly than outwardly,--inwardly as regarded
her own family, and not outwardly as regarded the world. Her brother,
and her nephew, and her sister-in-law, and nieces, were, she thought,
among th