ome to force on
him your hand? Pooh, pooh! Such scruples would be in place if you were a
portionless forward girl, or if he were a conceited young puppy, or
even a suspicious old roue. But Guy Darrell--a man of his station, his
character, his years! And you, cousin Caroline, what are you? Surely,
lifted above all such pitiful crotchets by a rank amongst the loftiest
gentlewomen of England; ample fortune, a beauty that in itself is
rank and wealth; and, above all, a character that has passed with such
venerated purity through an ordeal in which every eye seeks a spot,
every ear invites a scandal. But as you will. All I say is, that
Darrell's future may be in your hands; that after to-morrow, the
occasion to give at least noble occupation and lasting renown to a mind
that is devouring itself and stifling its genius, may be irrevocably
lost; and that I do believe, if you said to-morrow to Guy Daxrell, 'You
refused to hear me when I pleaded for what you thought a disgrace
to your name, and yet even that you at last conceded to the voice of
affection as if of duty--now hear me when I plead by the side of
your oldest friend on behalf of your honour, and in the name of your
forefathers,'--if You say THAT, he is won to his country. You will have
repaired a wrong; and, pray, will you have compromised your dignity?"

Caroline had recoiled into the corner of the carriage, her mantle close
down round her breast, her veil lowered; but no sheltering garb or veil
could conceal her agitation.

The Colonel pulled the check-string. "Nothing so natural; you are the
widow of the Head of the House of Vipont. You are, or ought to be,
deeply interested in its fate. An awful CRISIS, long expected, has
occurred. The House trembles. A connection of that House can render it
an invaluable service; that connection is the man at whose hearth your
childhood was reared; and you go with me--me, who am known to be moving
heaven and earth for every vote that the House can secure, to canvass
this wavering connection for his support and assistance. Nothing, I say,
so natural; and yet you scruple to serve the House of Vipont--to
save your country! You may well be agitated. I leave you to your own
reflections. My time runs short; I will get out here. Trust me with
these documents. I will see to the rest of this long painful subject. I
will send a special report to you this evening, and you will reply by a
single line to the prayer I have ventured to address