Angela winced beneath the taunt, but made no reply.
“But, if you will condescend to look at the
matter with a single grain of common-sense, you will
see that circumstances have utterly changed since
you refused to marry George. Then, Mr. Heigham
was alive, poor fellow, and then, too, George wanted
to marry you as a wife, now he is merely anxious to
marry you that he may be enabled to make reparation
to your father. He is a fast-dying man. You
would never be his wife except in name. The grave
would be his only marriage-bed. Do you not understand
the difference?”
“Perfectly, but do you not understand
that whether in deed or in name I cannot outrage my
dead Arthur’s memory by being for an hour the
wife of that man? Do you not know that
the marriage service requires a woman to swear to
‘Love, honour, and obey,’ till death parts,
whether it be a day or a lifetime away? Can I,
even as a mere form, swear to love when I loathe,
honour when I despise, obey when my whole life would
rise in rebellion against obedience! What are
these estates to me that I should do such violence
to my conscience and my memories? Estates, of
what use are they to one whose future lies in the wards
of a hospital or a sisterhood? I will have nothing
to do with this marriage, Lady Bellamy.”
“Well, I must say, Angela, you do not make much
ado about ruining your father to gratify your own
sentimental whims. It must be a comfortable thing
to have children to help one in one’s old age.”
Angela reflected on Mr. Fraser’s words about
her duty to her father, and for the second time that
day she winced beneath Lady Bellamy’s taunt;
but, as she returned no answer, her visitor had no
alternative but to drop the subject and depart.
Before she went, however, she had a few words with
Philip, urging the serious state of George’s
health and the terms of his grandfather’s will,
which prevented him from leaving the estates to himself,
as a reason why he should put pressure on Angela.
Somewhat, but not altogether to her surprise, he refused
in these terms:
“I don’t know to what depths you have
gone in this business, and it is no affair of mine
to inquire, but I have kept to my share of the bargain
and I expect you to keep to yours. If you can
bring about the marriage with George, well or ill,
on the terms I have agreed upon with him, I shall
throw no obstacle in the way; but as for my trying
to force Angela into it, I should never take the responsibility
of doing so, nor would she listen to me. If she
speaks to me on the subject I shall point out how
the family will be advantaged, and leave the matter
to her. Further I will not go.”
Three days after her conversation with Lady Bellamy,
Angela received the following letter:—
“Isleworth
Hall, Roxham, May 2.
“Dear Cousin Angela,
