at account have your sister ruined. It is romance on her part."

"But what does he say?"

"He is quite willing to give up the match. He has told me so, and
said as much to his aunt, whom I have seen three times on the
subject."

"Do you mean that he wishes to give it up?"

"No,--at least I don't know. If he does, he cannot express such a
wish, because Clara is so headstrong. Patrick, in my heart I do not
believe that she cares for him. I have doubted it for some time."

"But you wanted her to marry him."

"So I did. It was an excellent match, and in a certain way she did
like him; and then, you know, there was that great danger about poor
Owen. It was a great danger then. But now she is so determined about
this, because she thinks it would be ungenerous to go back from her
word; and in this way she will ruin the very man she wishes to serve.
Of course he cannot break off the match if she persists in it. What
I want you to perceive is this, that he, utterly penniless as he is,
will have to begin the world with a clog round his neck, because she
is so obstinate. What could possibly be worse for him than a titled
wife without a penny?" And in this way the countess pleaded her side
of the question before her son.

It was quite true that she had been three times to Castle Richmond,
and had thrice driven Aunt Letty into a state bordering on
distraction. If she could only get the Castle Richmond people to take
it up as they ought to do! It was thus she argued with herself,--and
with Aunt Letty also, endeavouring to persuade her that these two
young people would undoubtedly ruin each other, unless those who were
really wise and prudent, and who understood the world--such as Aunt
Letty, for instance--would interfere to prevent it.

Aunt Letty on the whole did agree with her, though she greatly
disliked her. Miss Fitzgerald had strongly planted within her bosom
the prudent old-world notion, that young gentlefolks should not
love each other unless they have plenty of money; and that, if
unfortunately such did love each other, it was better that they
should suffer all the pangs of hopeless love than marry and trust to
God and their wits for bread and cheese. To which opinion of Aunt
Letty's, as well as to some others entertained by that lady with much
pertinacity, I cannot subscribe myself as an adherent.

Lady Desmond had wit enough to discover that Aunt Letty did agree
with her in the main, and on this account she was