‘My belief is that he’s almost as much in love with you as I am,’ said Silverbridge, as he took her to the door of the Duke’s room.  ‘Here we are, sir.’

‘My dear,’ said the Duke, rising up and coming to her, ’I am very glad to see you.  It is good of you to come to me.’  Then he took her in both his hands and kissed her forehead and her lips.  She, as she put her face up to him, stood quite still in his embrace, but her eyes were bright with pleasure.

‘Shall I leave her?’ said Silverbridge.

‘For a few minutes.’

’Don’t keep her too long, for I want to take her all over the house.’

‘A few minutes,—­and then I will bring her up to the drawing-room.’ 
 Upon this the door was closed, and Isabel was alone with her new
father.  ‘And so, my dear, you are to be my child.’

‘If you will have me.’

’Come here and sit down by me.  Your father has already told you that;—­has he not?

‘He has told me that you had consented.’

‘And Silverbridge has said as much?’

‘I would sooner hear it from you than from either of them.’

’Then hear it from me.  You shall be my child.  And if you will love me you shall be very dear to me.  You shall be my own child,—­as dear to me as my own.  I must either love his wife very dearly, or else I must be an unhappy man.  And she most love me dearly, or I must be unhappy.’

‘I will love you,’ she said, pressing his hand.

’And now let me say some few words to you, only let there be no bitterness in them to your young heart.  When I say that I take you to my own heart, you may be sure that I do so thoroughly.  You shall be as dear to me and as near as though you had been all English.’

‘Shall I?’

’There shall be no difference made.  My boy’s wife shall be my daughter in very deed.  But I had not wished it to be so.’

‘I knew that,—­but could I have given up?’

’He at any rate could not give up.  There were little prejudices;—­ you can understand that.’

‘Oh yes.’

’We who wear black coats could not bring ourselves readily to put on scarlet garments; nor should we sit comfortably with our legs crossed like Turks.’

‘I am your scarlet coat and our cross-legged Turk,’ she said, with feigned self-reproach in her voice, but with a sparkle of mirth in her eye.

’But when I have once got into my scarlet coat I can be very proud of it, and when I am once seated in my divan I shall find it of all postures the easiest.  Do you understand me?’

‘I think so.’

’Not a shade of any prejudice shall be left to darken my mind.  There shall be no feeling but that you are in truth his chosen wife.  After all neither can country, nor race, nor rank, nor wealth, make a good woman.  Education can do much.  But nature must have done much also.’

‘Do not expect too much of me.’