Page:The Portrait of a Lady (1882).djvu/415

407 THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY. 407 " How unhappy you must "be ! " He had no sooner spoken than she recovered her self-posses- sion, and the first use she made of it was to pretend she had not heard him. " When I talk of your helping me, I talk great nonsense," she said, with a quick smile. "The idea of my troubling you with my domestic embarrassments ! The matter is very simple ; Lord Warburton must get on by himself. I can't undertake to help him." " He ought to succeed easily," said Ralph. Isabel hesitated a moment. " Yes but he has not always succeeded." " Very true. You know, however, how that always surprised me. Is Miss Osmond capable of giving us a surprise 1 " " It will come from him, rather. I suspect that after all he will let the matter drop." " He will do nothing dishonourable," said Ralph. " I am very sure of that. Nothing can be more honourable than for him to leave the poor child alone. She cares for some one else, and it is cruel to attempt to bribe her by magnificent offers to give him up." " Cruel to the other person perhaps the one she cares for. But Warburton isn't obliged to mind that." " No, cruel to her," said Isabel. " She would be very un- happy if she were to allow herself to be persuaded to desert poor Mr. Rosier. That idea seems to amuse you ; of course you are not in love with him. He has the merit of being in love with her. She can see at a glance that Lord Warburton is not." "He would be very good to her," said Ralph. " He has been good to her already. Fortunately, however, he has not said a word to disturb her. He could come and bid her good-bye to-morrow with perfect propriety." " How would your husband like that V' " Not at all ; and he may be right in not liking it. Only he in usi. obtain satisfaction himself." " Has he commissioned you to obtain it? " Ralph ventured to ask. " It was natural that as an old friend of Lord Warburton's an older friend, that is, than Osmond I should take an interest in his intentions." " Take an interest in his renouncing them, you mean." Isabel hesitated, frowning a little. " Let me understand. Are you pleading his cause 1 " " Not in the least. I am very glad he should not become