Page:Lady Anne Granard, or Keeping up Appearances Volume 2.pdf/31

Rh heart so much lighter, that she forgot every remark which had awakened her resentment, except inwardly acknowledging "that much of what the man had said was too true. Of course the sailor would forget Georgiana directly; but should the marquis really slip through her fingers, there would be no difficulty in getting another younger brother. The worst of it was, that in her pertinacious refusal of the sailor, she had lost the lord his brother, who, in time, and with the advantage of family connexion, might have thought of Helen, who was at this period the more attractive of the sisters." Alas! what a weary world must this be to the plotting part of it! the plodders have infinitely the advantage. We hasten over the next ten days (for we are anxious to reach our friends so long abroad, and of whom we know so little), but in them much occurred, for a letter was received from Lord Rotheles, not only reproaching his sister for having robbed Georgiana of an honourable and excellent connexion, but insisting on her being sent down to the castle, and informing her that "her family being so much reduced, his allowance would be so too, as it was plain that money only fostered the pride it was her duty to subdue." The postscript added, "that the countess was completely overcome by the misconduct of Lady Allerton, who had eloped with an officer—a circumstance which also affected his own mind severely, by recalling events long gone by, but never ceasing to be painful."