at all—­though I s’pose they being so high, looked down upon him as sich.  Well, anyways, they was as bitter against her marrying of him, as his kinsfolks would be agin him a-marrying of you.  And, to be sure, being of a widder, she a-done as she pleased, only she didn’t want to give no offense to her old father, who was very rich and very proud of her, who was his onliest child he ever had in the world; so to make a long rigamarole short, they runned away, so they did, Mr. Brudenell and her, and they got married private, and never let the old man know it long as ever he lived—­”

“Hannah! what is she talking about?” gasped Nora, who heard the words, but could not take in the sense of this story.

“Hush!  I do not know yet, myself; there is some mistake! listen,” whispered Hannah, putting her arms over her young sister’s shoulders, for Nora was then seated on the floor beside Hannah’s chair, with her head upon Hannah’s lap.  Mrs. Jones went straight on.

“And so that was easy enough, too; as soon arter they was married, Mr. Herman Brudenell, you know, he was a-coming of age, and so he had to be home to do business long of his guardeens, and take possession of his ’states and so on; and so he come, and kept his birthday last April!  And—­”

“Hannah!  Hannah! what does this all mean?  It cannot be true!  I know it is not true!  And yet, oh, Heaven! every word she speaks goes through my heart like a red hot spear!  Woman! do you mean to say that Mr.—­Mr. Herman Brudenell left a wife in Europe when he came back here?” cried Nora, clasping her hands in vague, incredulous anguish.

“Hush, hush, Nora, be quiet, my dear.  The very question you ask does wrong to your—­to Herman Brudenell, who with all his faults is still the soul of honor,” murmured Hannah soothingly.

“Yes, I know he is; and yet—­but there is some stupid mistake,” sighed Nora, dropping her head upon her sister’s lap.

Straight through this low, loving talk went the words of Mrs. Jones: 

“Well, now, I can’t take upon myself to say whether it was Europe or London, or which of them outlandish places; but, anyways, in some on ’em he did leave his wife a-living along of her ’pa.  But you see ’bout a month ago, her ’pa he died, a-leaving of all his property to his onliest darter, Lady Hoist, Hurl, Hurt, Hurt-my-toe.  No!  Hurt-me-so, Lady Hurt-me-so!  I never can get the hang of her outlandish name.  Well, then you know there wa’n’t no call to keep the marriage secret no more.  So what does my lady do but want to put a joyful surprise on the top of her husband; so without writing of him a word of what she was a-gwine to do, soon as ever the old man was buried and the will read, off she sets and comes over the sea to New York, and took a boat there for Baymouth, and hired of a carriage and rid over to Brudenell Hall, and arrove there at one o’clock last night, as I telled you afore!”

“Are you certain that all this is true?” murmured Hannah, in a husky undertone.