Part 18 (1/2)

He knew it, and was proud accordingly; yet he said to himself that Leone must go with him; he could not live without Leone.

Lady Lanswell continued:

”Your father is delighted over it; I cannot tell you how pleased he is.”

Then Lord Chandos looked wonderingly around.

”Where is my father?” he said. ”I have not seen him yet.”

Lady Lanswell knew that he would not see him. The earl had fled ignominiously; he had declined to be present at the grand fracas between his wife and his son; he had left it all in my lady's hands.

”Your father had some business that took him away this morning; he knew that I could say for him all that he had to say.”

Lord Chandos smiled, and the smile was not, perhaps, the most respectful in the world. My lady did not observe it.

”I am quite sure,” he said, ”that you can interpret all my father's ideas.”

It was then, with her son's handsome face smiling down on her, that the countess grew pale and laid her hand, with instinctive fear, on the papers spread before her. She nerved herself for the struggle; it would never do to give way.

”I have other news for you, Lance,” she said, and he looked with clear, bright, defiant eyes in her face.

She drew herself to her full height, as though the very att.i.tude gave the greatest strength; there was no bend, no yielding in her. Stern, erect, proud, she looked full in her son's face; it was as though they were measuring their strength one against the other.

”I have never said to you, Lance, what I thought of this wretched mistake you call your marriage,” she began; ”my contempt and indignation were too great that you should dare to give the grand old name you bear to a dairy-maid.”

Leone's beautiful Spanish face flashed before him, and he laughed at the word dairy-maid; she was peerless as a queen.

”Dare is not the word to use to a man, mother,” he retorted.

”Nor should I use it to a man,” said my lady, with a satirical smile. ”I am not speaking to a man, but to a hot-headed boy; a man has self-control, self-denial, self-restraint, you have none; a man weighs the honor of his name or his race in his hands; a man hesitates before he degrades a name that kings have delighted to honor, before he ruins hopelessly the prestige of a grand old race for the sake of a dairy-maid. You, a hot-headed, foolish boy, have done all this; therefore, I repeat that I am not speaking to a man.”

”You use strong language, mother,” he said.

”I feel strongly; my contempt is strong,” she said. ”I know not why so great a humiliation should have fallen on me as that my son--the son of whom I was proud--should be the first to bring shame on his name.”

”I have brought no shame on it, mother,” he said, angrily.

”No shame!” said the countess, bitterly. ”I can read, fancy, the short annals of the Lanswells--'Hubert, Earl Lanswell, died while fighting loyally for his king and his country; Ross, Earl Lanswell, was famed for political services; Lancelot, Earl Lanswell, married a dairy-maid.' I would rather,” she cried, with flas.h.i.+ng eyes, ”that you had died in your childhood, than lived to bring such bitter shame on a loyal race.”

His face grew pale with anger, as the bitter words were hurled at him.

”Will you understand, once for all, mother, that I have _not_ married a dairy-maid?” he cried. ”My wife is a wonder of beauty; she is dainty and lovely as a princess. Only see her, you would change your opinion at once.”

”I hope never to do that. As for seeing her, I shall never so far lose my own self-respect as to allow such a person to speak to me.”

Lord Chandos shook his head with a rueful smile.

”If you had ever seen Leone, mother, you would laugh at the idea of calling her a person,” he said.

Lady Lanswell moved her hand with a gesture of superb pride.