an honour which I
must beg leave most positively to disclaim."

There was a dead silence; the eyes of all who heard a remark so
intentionally rude were turned immediately towards Clarence. His cheek
burned like fire; he hesitated a moment, and then said, in the same key,
though with a little trembling in his intonation,--

"Lord Borodaile cannot be more anxious to disclaim it than I am."

"And yet," returned the viscount, stung to the soul, "they who advance
false pretensions ought at least to support them!"

"I do not understand you, my lord," said Clarence.

"Possibly not," answered Borodaile, carelessly: "there is a maxim which
says that people not accustomed to speak truth cannot comprehend it in
others."

Unlike the generality of modern heroes, who are always in a passion,--
off-hand, dashing fellows, in whom irascibility is a virtue,--Clarence
was peculiarly sweet-tempered by nature, and had, by habit, acquired a
command over all his passions to a degree very uncommon in so young a
man. He made no reply to the inexcusable affront he had received. His
lip quivered a little, and the flush of his countenance was succeeded
by an extreme paleness; this was all: he did not even leave the room
immediately, but waited till the silence was broken by some well-bred
member of the party; and then, pleading an early engagement as an excuse
for his retiring so soon, he rose and departed.

There was throughout the room a universal feeling of sympathy with the
affront and indignation against the offender; for, to say nothing of
Clarence's popularity and the extreme dislike in which Lord Borodaile
was held, there could be no doubt as to the wantonness of the outrage or
the moderation of the aggrieved party. Lord Borodaile already felt
the punishment of his offence: his very pride, while it rendered him
indifferent to the spirit, had hitherto kept him scrupulous as to the
formalities of social politeness; and he could not but see the grossness
with which he had suffered himself to violate them and the light in
which his conduct was regarded. However, this internal discomfort only
rendered him the more embittered against Clarence and the more
confirmed in his revenge. Resuming, by a strong effort, all the external
indifference habitual to his manner, he attempted to enter into a
conversation with those of the party who were next to him but his
remarks produced answers brief and cold; even Lord Aspeden forgot his
diplomacy a