第49章

'Oh, my dear lord,' continued Lady Dashfort; 'I am perfectly aware that she did take and bear the name of Reynolds; but that was not her maiden name--her maiden name was; but perhaps it is a family secret that has been kept, for some good reason from you, and from the poor girl herself; the maiden name was St.Omar, depend upon it.Nay, I would not have told this to you, my lord, if I could have conceived that it would affect you so violently,'

pursued Lady Dashfort, in a tone of raillery; 'you see you are no worse off than we are.We have an intermarriage with the St.

Omars.I did not think you would be so much shocked at a discovery, which proves that our family and yours have some little connexion.'

Lord Colambre endeavoured to answer, and mechanically said something about, 'happy to have the honour.' Lady Dashfort, truly happy to see that her blow had hit the mark so well, turned from his lordship without seeming to observe how seriously he was affected; and Lady Isabel sighed, and looked with compassion on Lord Colambre, and then reproachfully at her mother.But Lord Colambre heeded not her looks, and heard not of her sighs; he heard nothing, saw nothing, though his eyes were intently fixed on the genealogy, on which Lady Dashfort was still descanting to Lady Killpatrick.He took the first opportunity he could of quitting the room, and went out to take a solitary walk.

'There he is, departed, but not in peace, to reflect upon what has been said,' whispered Lady Dashfort to her daughter.'I hope it will do him a vast deal of good.'

'None of the women SANS REPROCHE! None!--without one exception,' said Lord Colambre to himself; 'and Grace Nugent's mother a St.Omar!--Is it possible? Lady Dashfort seems certain.

She could not assert a positive falsehood--no motive.She does not know that Miss Nugent is the person to whom I am attached she spoke at random.And I have heard it first from a stranger--not from my mother.Why was it kept secret from me? Now Iunderstand the reason why my mother evidently never wished that Ishould think of Miss Nugent--why she always spoke so vehemently against the marriages of relations, of cousins.Why not tell me the truth? It would have had the strongest effect, had she known my mind.'

Lord Colambre had the greatest dread of marrying any woman whose mother had conducted herself ill.His reason, his prejudices, his pride, his delicacy, and even his limited experience, were all against it.All his hopes, his plans of future happiness, were shaken to their very foundation; he felt as if he had received a blow that stunned his mind, and from which he could not recover his faculties.The whole of that day he was like one in a dream.At night the painful idea continually recurred to him; and whenever he was falling asleep, the sound of Lady Dashfort's voice returned upon his ear, saying the words, 'What could he expect when he married one of the St.Omars? None of the women SANS REPROCHE.'

In the morning he rose early; and the first thing he did was to write a letter to his mother, requesting (unless there was some important reason for her declining to answer the question) that she would immediately relieve his mind from a great UNEASINESS(he altered the word four times, but at last left it UNEASINESS).

He stated what he had heard, and besought his mother to tell him the whole truth, without reserve.