第83章

"Let us return to Horace.Miss Roseberry once out of the house, but one serious obstacle is left in Lady Janet's way.That obstacle is Horace Holmcroft.""How is Horace an obstacle?"

"He is an obstacle in this sense.He is under an engagement to marry you in a week's time; and Lady Janet is determined to keep him (as she is determined to keep every one else) in ignorance of the truth.She will do that without scruple.But the inbred sense of honor in her is not utterly silenced yet.She cannot, she dare not, let Horace make you his wife under the false impression that you are Colonel Roseberry's daughter.You see the situation? On the one hand, she won't enlighten him.On the other hand, she cannot allow him to marry you blindfold.In this emergency what is she to do? There is but one alternative that I can discover.She must persuade Horace (or she must irritate Horace) into acting for himself, and breaking off the engagement on his own responsibility."Mercy stopped him."Impossible!" she cried, warmly."Impossible!""Look again at her letter," Julian rejoined."It tells, you plainly that you need fear no embarrassment when you next meet Horace.If words mean anything, those words mean that he will not claim from you the confidence which you have promised to repose in him.On what condition is it possible for him to abstain from doing that? On the one condition that you have ceased to represent the first and foremost interest of his life."Mercy still held firm."You are wronging Lady Janet, " she said.

Julian smiled sadly.

"Try to look at it," he answered, "from Lady Janet's point of view.Do you suppose she sees anything derogatory to her in attempting to break off the marriage? I will answer for it, she believes she is doing you a kindness.In one sense it would be a kindness to spare you the shame of a humiliating confession, and to save you (possibly) from being rejected to your face by the man you love.In my opinion, the thing is done already.I have reasons of my own for believing that my aunt will succeed far more easily than she could anticipate.Horace's temper will help her."Mercy's mind began to yield to him, in spite of herself.

"What do you mean by Horace's temper?" she inquired.

"Must you ask me that?" he said, drawing back a little from her.

"I must."

"I mean by Horace's temper, Horace's unworthy distrust of the interest that I feel in you."She instantly understood him.And more than that, she secretly admired him for the scrupulous delicacy with which he had expressed himself.Another man would not have thought of sparing her in that way.Another man would have said, plainly, "Horace is jealous of me."Julian did not wait for her to answer him.He considerately went on.

"For the reason that I have just mentioned," he said, "Horace will be easily irritated into taking a course which, in his calmer moments, nothing would induce him to adopt.Until I heard what your maid said to you I had thought (for your sake) of retiring before he joined you here.Now I know that my name has been introduced, and has made mischief upstairs, I feel the necessity (for your sake again) of meeting Horace and his temper face to face before you see him.Let me, if I can, prepare him to hear you without any angry feeling in his mind toward you.Do you object to retire to the next room for a few minutes in the event of his coming back to the library?"Mercy's courage instantly rose with the emergency.She refused to leave the two men together.

"Don't think me insensible to your kindness," she said."If I leave you with Horace I may expose you to insult.I refuse to do that.What makes you doubt his coming back?""His prolonged absence makes me doubt it," Julian replied."In my belief, the marriage is broken off.He may go as Grace Roseberry has gone.You may never see him again."The instant the opinion was uttered, it was practically contradicted by the man himself.Horace opened the library door.

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