That softens one you know. Have you ever heard of Lord
Rufford?"
"Lord Rufford;--the young man?"
"Yes;--the young man."
"Never particularly. I knew his father."
"But not this man? Mr. Morton never spoke you of him."
"Not a word."
"I have been engaged to him since I became engaged to your nephew."
"Engaged to Lord Rufford,--to marry him?"
"Yes;--indeed."
"And will you marry him?"
"I cannot say. I tell you this, Lady Ushant, because I must tell
somebody in this house. I have behaved very badly to Mr. Morton,
and Lord Rufford is behaving as badly to me."
"Did John know of this?"
"No;--but I meant to tell him. I determined that I would tell him
had he lived. When he sent for me I swore that I would tell him. If
he is dying,--how can I say it?" Lady Ushant sat bewildered,
thinking over it, understanding nothing of the world in which this
girl had lived, and not knowing now how things could have been as
she described them. It was not as yet three months since, to her
knowledge, this young woman had been staying at Bragton as the
affianced bride of the owner of the house,--staying there with her
own mother and his grandmother,--and now she declared that since
that time she had become engaged to another man and that that other
man had already jilted her! And yet she was here that she might
make a deathbed parting with the man who regarded himself as her
affianced husband.
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