e of the case, but a moment before, very likely the old gentleman
had a different view from that which he chose to advocate, and judged of
Arthur by what he himself would have done. If she goes to Arthur, and he
speaks the truth, as the rascal will, it spoils all, he thought. And he
tried one more effort.

"My dear, good soul," he said, taking Helen's hand and kissing it, "as
your son has not acquainted you with this affair, think if you have
any right to examine it. As you believe him to be a man of honour, what
right have you to doubt his honour in this instance? Who is his accuser?
An anonymous scoundrel who has brought no specific charge against him.
If there were any such, wouldn't the girl's parents have come forward?
He is not called upon to rebut, nor you to entertain an anonymous
accusation; and as for believing him guilty because a girl of that rank
happened to be in his rooms acting as nurse to him, begad you might
as well insist upon his marrying that dem'd old Irish gin-drinking
laundress, Mrs. Flanagan."

The widow burst out laughing through her tears--the victory was gained
by the old general.

"Marry Mrs. Flanagan, by Ged," he continued, tapping her slender hand.
"No. The boy has told you nothing about it, and you know nothing about
it. The boy is innocent--of course. And what, my good soul, is the
course for us to pursue? Suppose he is attached to this girl--don't look
sad again, it's merely a supposition--and begad a young fellow may
have an attachment, mayn't he?--Directly he gets well he will be at her
again."

"He must come home! We must go off directly to Fairoaks," the widow
cried out.

"My good creature, he'll bore himself to death at Fairoaks. He'll have
nothing to do but to think about his passion there. There's no place in
the world for making a little passion into a big one, and where a fellow
feeds on his own thoughts, like a dem'd lonely country-house where
there's nothing to do. We must occupy him: amuse him: we must take
him abroad: he's never been abroad except to Paris for a lark. We must
travel a little. He must have a nurse with him, to take great care of
him, for Goodenough says he had a dev'lish narrow squeak of it (don't
look frightened), and so you must come and watch: and I suppose you'll
take Miss Bell, and I should like to ask Warrington to come.
Arthur's dev'lish fond of Warrington. He can't do without Warrington.
Warrington's family is one of the oldest in England, and