“Hush, hush!—­pray, Frank.  Now, if I do own it—­”

“It—­what?  Let me hear!  I’m very stupid, you know!” said Frank, in a voice of exulting comprehension, belying his alleged stupidity.

“What you have been to me—­”

“Have been—­eh?” said this cruel cross-examiner.

“Do not let us waste time,” said Eleonora, in a trembling voice; “you know very well.”

“Do I?”

“Now, Frank!”

“If you only knew what it would be worth to me to hear you say it!”

“I’m afraid it would be only worth pain and grief to you, and anger from every one,” said she, in a low dejected voice, “far more than I am worth.”

“You?  Trust me to judge of that, Lenore.  Would not you be worth all, and more than all, that flesh or spirit could feel!  I could face it all for one look from you!” said Frank, with fervour from his heart of hearts.

“You make me more and more afraid.  It is all too wretched to lead any one into.  Since I knew the whole truth, I have tried to spare you from it.”

“That is why you have been so cold, and held so cruelly aloof all this time, so that if I had not caught one ray now and then, you would have broken my heart, Lenore; as it is, I’ve been wretched beyond description, hardly able to sleep by night or speak rationally by day.  How had you the heart to serve me so, like a stony Greek statue?”

“I thought it must be right.  It seemed to break my own heart too.”

“That’s the woman’s way of showing a thing is right; but why I can’t see.  If you did hate me, it might be all very well to throw me over; but if not, why torture two as well as one?  Are you afraid of my people?  I’ll manage them.”

“You little know—­”

“Know what?”

“All that made it cruel in Camilla to throw us together.”

“Cruel! when it was the crowning joy of my past life, and is to be the crowning joy of the future?”

“How can it?  Frank, you must know the causes your mother has for abhorring any connection with our unhappy family.”

“My mother has too much sense to think a little extravagance among the men of a family can affect the daughters.  I know the outer world is afraid of her, but she is the tenderest and most indulgent of mothers to us.  No fear of her!”

“Ah! but that’s not all.”

“You mean that she has not taken much to your sister.  I know; and I’m very sorry; but bring them together, and it would soon be got over.  Besides, it is not your sister, but you.  What do you mean?” rather disconcerted.

“Then you really did not know of the old engagement between Camilla and your eldest brother?”

“Oh, oh!  So she consented once!  Then she will do so again.”

“Listen!  Camilla broke it off because your mother could not resign her position to her.”

He gave a whistle of dismay, then recovering himself with a laugh, said, “Fourth sons don’t have such expectations founded on them.  Don’t fear, dearest; that can’t be all the story, though no doubt it was part of it.  My mother would rather go into a hermitage than stand in the way of Raymond’s happiness.  Some one must have made mischief.”