"Who is the lady? Why, I call it a shame to go about as a single man,
and be married all the time! If there is one thing that revolts me,
it is duplicity. Who is the lady? Do tell me all you know about it,
there's a dear."
"She is French, and a Roman Catholic," said Molly.
"French! They are such beguiling women; and he was so much abroad!
You said there was a child,--is it a boy or a girl?"
"I did not hear. I did not ask."
Molly did not think it necessary to do more than answer questions;
indeed, she was vexed enough to have told anything of what her father
evidently considered it desirable to keep secret. Just then Cynthia
came wandering into the room with a careless, hopeless look in her
face, which Molly noticed at once. She had not heard of Molly's
arrival, and had no idea that she was returned until she saw her
sitting there.
"Molly, darling! Is that you? You're as welcome as the flowers in
May, though you've not been gone twenty-four hours. But the house
isn't the same when you are away!"
"And she brings us such news too!" said Mrs. Gibson. "I'm really
almost glad you wrote to the Squire yesterday, for if you had waited
till to-day--I thought you were in too great a hurry at the time--he
might have thought you had some interested reason for giving up your
engagement. Osborne Hamley was married all this time unknown to
everybody, and has got a child too."
"Osborne married!" exclaimed Cynthia. "If ever a man looked a
bachelor, he did. Poor Osborne! with his fair delicate elegance,--he
looked so young and boyish!"
"Yes! it was a great piece of deceit, and I can't easily forgive
him for it. Only think! If he had paid either of you any particular
attention, and you had fallen in love with him! Why, he might have
broken your heart, or Molly's either. I can't forgive him, even
though he is dead, poor fellow!"
"Well, as he never did pay either of us any particular attention, and
as we neither of us did fall in love with him, I think I only feel
sorry that he had all the trouble and worry of concealment." Cynthia
spoke with a pretty keen recollection of how much trouble and worry
her concealment had cost her.
"And now of course it is a son, and will be the heir, and Roger will
just be as poorly off as ever. I hope you'll take care and let the
Squire know Cynthia was quite ignorant of these new facts that have
come out when she wrote those letters, Molly? I should not like a
suspicion of worldliness to rest upon any one with whom I had any
concern."