"
"Well; we must all have our little periods of grief; and it may
perhaps be fortunate if none of us have worse than this. She will not
complain, herself, I am sure."
"She complain!"
"No, I am sure she will not. And now all I've got to say, Mr.
Robarts, is this: I hope you and Lufton have had enough to do with
black sheep to last you your lives; for I must protest that your late
friend Mr. Sowerby is a black sheep." In no possible way could Lady
Lufton have alluded to the matter with greater kindness than in
thus joining Mark's name with that of her son. It took away all the
bitterness of the rebuke, and made the subject one on which even he
might have spoken without difficulty. But now, seeing that she was so
gentle to him, he could not but lean the more hardly on himself.
"I have been very foolish," said he, "very foolish, and very wrong,
and very wicked."
"Very foolish, I believe, Mr. Robarts--to speak frankly and once for
all; but, as I also believe, nothing worse. I thought it best for
both of us that we should just have one word about it, and now I
recommend that the matter be never mentioned between us again."
"God bless you, Lady Lufton," he said, "I think no man ever had such
a friend as you are." She had been very quiet during the interview,
and almost subdued, not speaking with the animation that was usual
to her; for this affair with Mr.
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