第54章

Lord Colambre had waited with great impatience for an answer to the letter of inquiry which he had written about Miss Nugent's mother.A letter from Lady Clonbrony arrived; he opened it with the greatest eagerness--passed over'Rheumatism warm weather--warm bath--Buxton balls--Miss Broadhurst--your FRIEND, Sir Arthur Berryl, very assiduous!' The name of Grace Nugent he found at last, and read as follows:

Her mother's maiden name was ST.OMAR; and there was a FAUX PAS, certainly.She was, I am told (for it was before my time), educated at a convent abroad; and there was an affair with a Captain Reynolds, a young officer, which her friends were obliged to hush up.She brought an infant to England with her, and took the name of Reynolds--but none of that family would acknowledge her; and she lived in great obscurity, till your uncle Nugent saw, fell in love with her, and (knowing her whole history)married her.He adopted the child, gave her his name, and, after some years, the whole story was forgotten.Nothing could be more disadvantageous to Grace than to have it revived: this is the reason we kept it secret.

Lord Colambre tore the letter to bits.

From the perturbation which Lady Dashfort saw in his countenance, she guessed the nature of the letter which he had been reading, and for the arrival of which he had been so impatient.

'It has worked!' said she to herself.'POUR LE COUP PHILIPPE JETE TIENS!'

Lord Colambre appeared this day more sensible, than he bad ever yet seemed, to the charms of the fair Isabel.

'Many a tennis-ball, and many a heart is caught at the rebound,'

said Lady Dashfort.'Isabel! now is your time!'

And so it was--or so, perhaps, it would have been, but for a circumstance which her ladyship, with all her genius for intrigue, had never taken into her consideration.Count O'Halloran came to return the visit which had been paid to him;and, in the course of conversation, he spoke of the officers who had been introduced to him, and told Lady Dashfort that he had heard a report which shocked him much--he hoped it could not be true--that one of these officers had introduced his mistress as his wife to Lady Oranmore, who lived in the neighbourhood.This officer, it was said, had let Lady Oranmore send her carriage for this woman; and that she had dined at Oranmore with her ladyship and her daughters.[Fact.] "But I cannot believe it! I cannot believe it to be possible, that any gentleman, that any officer, could do such a thing!' said the count.

'And is this all?' exclaimed Lady Dashfort.'Is this all the terrible affair, my good count, which has brought your face to this prodigious length?'

The count looked at Lady Dashfort with astonishment.

'Such a look of virtuous indignation,' continued she, 'did Inever behold, on or off the stage.Forgive me for laughing, count; but, believe me, comedy goes through the world better than tragedy, and, take it all in all, does rather less mischief.As to the thing in question, I know nothing about it: I dare say, it is not true; but, now, suppose it was--it is only a silly QUIZ, of a raw young officer, upon a prudish old dowager.I know nothing about it, for my part; but, after all, what irreparable mischief has been done? Laugh at the thing, and then it is a jest--a bad one, perhaps, but still only a jest--and there's an end of it; but take it seriously, and there is no knowing where it might end--in half a dozen duels, maybe.'

'Of that, madam,' said the count, 'Lady Oranmore's prudence and presence of mind have prevented all danger.Her ladyship WOULDnot understand the insult.She said, or she acted as if she said, "JE NE VEUX RIEN VOIR, RIEN ECOUTER, RIEN SAVOIR." Lady Oranmore is one of the most respectable--'

'Count, I beg your pardon!' interrupted Lady Dashfort; 'but Imust tell you that your favourite, Lady Oranmore, has behaved very ill to me; purposely omitted to invite Isabel to her ball;offended and insulted me:--her praises, therefore, cannot be the most agreeable subject of conversation you can choose for my amusement; and as to the rest, you, who have such variety and so much politeness, will, I am sure, have the goodness to indulge my caprice in this instance.'

I shall obey your ladyship, and be silent, whatever pleasure it might give me to speak on that subject,' said the count; 'and Itrust Lady Dashfort will reward me by the assurance that, however playfully she may have just now spoken, she seriously disapproves and is shocked.'

'Oh, shocked! shocked to death! if that will satisfy you, my dear count.'

The count, obviously, was not satisfied; he had civil, as well as military courage, and his sense of right and wrong could stand against the raillery and ridicule of a fine lady.

The conversation ended: Lady Dashfort thought it would have no further consequences; and she did not regret the loss of a man like Count O'Halloran, who lived retired in his castle, and who could not have any influence upon the opinion of the fashionable world.However, upon turning from the count to Lord Colambre, who she thought had been occupied with Lady Isabel, and to whom she imagined all this dispute was uninteresting, she perceived, by his countenance, that she had made a great mistake.Still she trusted that her power over Lord Colambre was sufficient easily to efface whatever unfavourable impression this conversation had made upon his mind.He had no personal interest in the affair;and she had generally found that people are easily satisfied about any wrong or insult, public or private, in which they have no immediate concern.But all the charms of her conversation were now tried in vain to reclaim him from the reverie into which he had fallen.