But by allowing thus much the
Duke would not compromise himself,--nor the Duchess, nor Lord
Mistletoe. Lord Mistletoe, with that prudence which will certainly
in future years make him a useful assistant to some minister of the
day, had seen all this, and so it had been arranged.
But, in spite of these doings, Arabella had insisted on complying
with John Morton's wish that she go down and visit him in his bed
at Bragton. Her mother, who in these days was driven almost to
desperation by her daughter's conduct, tried her best to prevent
the useless journey, but tried in vain. "Then," she said in wrath
to Arabella, "I will tell your father, and I will tell the Duke,
and I will tell Lord Rufford that they need not trouble themselves
any further." "You know, mamma, that you will do nothing of the
kind," said Arabella. And the poor woman did do nothing of the
kind. "What is it to them whether I see the man or not?" the girl
said. "They are not such fools as to suppose that because Lord
Rufford has engaged himself to me now I was never engaged to any
one before. There isn't one of them doesn't know that you had made
up an engagement between us and had afterwards tried to break it
off." When she heard this the unfortunate mother raved, but she
raved in vain. She told her daughter that she would not supply her
with money for the expenses of her journey, but her daughter
replied that she would have no difficulty in finding her way to a
pawn shop.
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