Page:Lady Anne Granard 3.pdf/65

Rh "Disgrace would be rather a rebounding thing, Lord Rotheles," she said, after having cleverly led him to the subject, "when it was known (as every newspaper in the empire would take care it should be) that the unhappy Lady A—G—, now an inmate in Whitecross Prison, is the only and elder sister of the Earl of R—, of R—Castle, in the county of Worcester, formerly distinguished as the beautiful Lady A—G—, of G—Park, in Yorkshire. Her ladyship was left a widow with five fair daughters, on so scanty a provision, it has been the surprise of many that they could be brought up at all, but that at length poverty should overtake and overwhelm the widow can excite none. We must, nevertheless, express our astonishment that the earl, her brother, a childless man, with a large estate, now redeemed from the mortgages a long course of profligacy had entailed upon it, including heavy damages paid to Viscount L—, "Upon my soul, Anne, you have made up as pretty a paragraph as could be desired for a gouty man's punishment! I do firmly believe it was not concocted on the instant, either, but has formed a trial of your powers in composition; though I must laugh, I assure you I am very angry, and that I would put my design in execution, if you proceeded to do what you threaten.’'