‘If you had a legion of brothers it would have been the same,’ he said, turning sharp upon her.

They walked on together, but without a word till the house was in sight.  Then she looked round on him, and stopped him on the path as she caught his eye.’  Silverbridge!’ she said.

‘Lady Mabel.’

’Call me Mabel.  At any rate call me Mabel.  If I have said anything to offend you—­I beg your pardon.’

‘I am not offended—­but unhappy.’

’If you are unhappy, what must I be?  What have I to look forward to?  Give me your hand, and say that we are friends.’

‘Certainly we are friends,’ he said, and gave her his hand.

‘Who can tell what may come to pass?’ To this he would make no answer, as it seemed to imply that some division between himself and Isabel Boncassen might possibly come to pass.  ’You will not tell anyone that I love you.’

‘I tell such a thing as that!’

’But never forget it yourself.  No one can tell what may come to pass.’

Lady Mabel at once went up to her room.  She had played her scene, but was well aware that she had played it altogether unsuccessfully.

CHAPTER 60

Lord Gerald in Further Trouble

When Silverbridge got back to the house he was by no means well pleased with himself.  In the first place he was unhappy to think that Mabel was unhappy, and that he had made he so.  And then she had told him that he would not have dared to have acted as he had done, but that her father and brother were careless to defend her.  He had replied fiercely that a legion of brothers ready to act on her behalf would not have altered his conduct; but not the less did he feel that he had behaved badly to her.  It could not now be altered.  He could not now be untrue to Isabel.  But certainly he had said a word or two to Mabel which he could not remember without regret.  He had not thought that a word from him could have been so powerful.  Now, when that word was recalled to his memory by the girl to whom it had been spoken he could not acquit himself.

And Mabel had declared to him that she would at once appeal to his father.  There was an absurdity in this at which he could not but smile,—­that the girl should complain to his father because he would not marry her!  But even in doing this she might cause him great vexation.  He could not bring himself to ask her not to tell her story to the Duke.  He must take all that as it might come.

While he was thinking of all this in his own room a servant brought him two letters.  From the first which he opened he perceived that it contained an account of more troubles.  It was from his brother Gerald, and was written from Auld Reikie, the name of a house in Scotland belonging to Lord Nidderdale’s people.

’Dear silver,