me as soon as he likes, and we will talkover the difficulties," he said kindly. "I liked the young fellow verymuch, from the little I saw of him. I am sure he is a gentleman, and Ibelieve him to be straight."
Isobel looked up a little reproachfully. Her father's guarded wordsseemed to convey very faint praise of her peerless lover.
"Oh, dad," she cried reproachfully. "Guy is the soul of honour."
Rossett came down, and had a long interview with General Clandon. Hewas quite frank and manly. He would marry Isobel whether his fatherconsented or not; so far as financial matters stood, he was perfectlyindependent. Still, for many reasons, it was better to exercise alittle prudence, and coax the Earl into agreement.
The General agreed. "Much better, Rossett. The question of her beingreceived by your family or not will make a great difference to her atthe start. In the years to come, it may make a great difference to you.You don't want to cut yourself off from your kith and kin."
Rossett was of the same opinion. The General agreed to a privateengagement. Guy gave his betrothed a beautiful ring which she did notdare openly to display. She looked at it several times a day, andkissed it every night before she went to sleep.
Guy had lost no time in approaching his father, and the Earl hadreceived the news in the worst spirit. He had stormed, and broken outinto one of his furious, ungovernable rages.
"You are simply an idiot. With my influence with the Government, thereis no knowing where I can push you to." He seemed to take it forgranted that his son could not help himself. "You must marry a woman inyour own class, a woman who can help you in your career. And then youpropose to me some obscure chit of a girl, who lives in a cottage atEastbourne."
Guy argued calmly that Isobel was a lady, and of good family. Certainlyher father was not a rich man, this much he had to admit.
The Earl would not listen to reason. He brushed aside all his son'spleadings. He recovered from his first rage, but he wound up thediscussion in a voice of deadly calm.
"You can do as you choose, Guy. You are quite independent, and Idaresay if you married a shop girl it would make no difference to youraunt. But please understand this. From the day you make Isobel Clandonyour wife, all is over between us. I wash my hands of you. Not a pennyof my money, not an atom of my influence. You understand."
"I quite understand, sir. You force me to choose between yourself andIsobel. Well, if you persist in your determination, I shall chooseIsobel. But I am in hopes you will change your mind."
"Never," snapped out the Earl viciously. "Go to the devil your own way,as soon as you like. Fancy a manlike you being caught by a baby face."But Guy smiled to himself. Lord Saxham was a very obstinate man, also avery irritable one. But his bark was worse than his bite. He had oftenclimbed down before. And there was Lady Mary to be reckoned with, who,as a rule, could twist her father round her little finger, even if theprocess involved some time.
Lord Saxham betook himself next day to the all-powerful Mr Greatorex.He hinted to that impassive gentleman that he wanted to get his sonabroad. Mr Greatorex elevated his finely arched eyebrows. "The usualthing, I suppose? An entanglement of some sort?"
"Wants to marry a woman who will ruin his career," answered the Earltersely.
"A chorus-girl or something of that sort?" queried Greatorex. He knewthat Guy Rossett had mixed in a somewhat fast set, and was prepared toexpect the worst of him. "Or, perhaps, a doubtful widow?" He had heardrumours of him and Violet Hargrave.
Lord Saxham shook his head. "No, neither; but just as bad from my pointof view. A girl, technically a lady, but no family to speak of, nofortune. He'd marry for love, and tire of her in six months, misery forher as well as for him."
The Honourable Rupert Greatorex was the scion of a very ancient familyhimself. He had a proper detestation of mesalliances.
"I will do my best," he said cordially. "He shall have the first thinggoing."
He had watched the career of young Rossett, as he had watched the careerof every young man in the Foreign Office. Guy had not shown himself, upto the present, very zealous. He was more inclined to play than towork, and he foregathered with some very queer people.
But he did not lack brains. From some of the strange people with whomhe associated, he had gleaned some rather valuable information which hehad placed at Mr Greatorex's disposal.
If he was sent to Spain, he might turn out a useful member of the vastdiplomatic corps, and he would be separated from this charming youngwoman, of no family to speak of, and no fortune. And Greatorex would beobliging a staunch supporter of the Government. Hence the appointmentwhich Guy fondly believed he had secured through his own merits.
While his father was scheming to thwart what he considered his son'sill-advised wooing, Guy had enlisted Mary for an ally.
Mary, the friend of all true lovers, only asked two questions. First,Was she a lady? Second, Were they quite sure they really loved eachother?
Her brother was able to answer both questions in the affirmative. Andshe was sure, this time, he was in earnest. She had been the recipientof previous confidences, hence a little caution on her part.
"I should like to meet her, and judge for myself," said Mary decidedly.She knew, of course, of her father's obstinate refusal to entertain theidea. She would like to meet Isobel, to be sure if she was justified inopposing the Earl. For Mary was, above all things, conscientious. Sheadored Guy, but she also loved her father, and she had a duty towardshim. She must be certain that Isobel was worthy, no mere adventuress,luring a sorely love-stricken man.
Guy unfolded his cunning little plan.
"Run up to London one day for some shopping. I'll get up Isobel and herfather, and we can all lunch together. Where shall we go? The Ritz forpreference, but we should meet too many people we knew, and it might getto the Governor's ears. We'll lunch at the Savoy."
So that was arranged. There came that delightful day when the Generaland his daughter travelled up from Eastbourne, and met Guy and hissister in the vestibule of the famous London restaurant.
Isobel was dreadfully nervous, but quite excitedly happy. What a lovelynew life! The tepid gaieties of Eastbourne paled their ineffectualfires in comparison with the present festivity.
The two women took to each other at once. It did not take the shrewdMary long to discover that this beautiful girl was genuinely in lovewith the equally good-looking Guy, that here was no artful and designingmaiden.
The General, simple and dignified, made an equally good impression uponher. In manner and bearing he was the true type of aristocrat, as muchso as Lord Saxham himself. Fortunately for others, he lacked the Earl'ssomewhat explosive qualities.
They lingered in the lounge some time after lunch, and here the twowomen had a little private chat together, with the view of cementingtheir acquaintance.
Mary promised to be their friend, and to use all her influence to weardown her father's opposition.
Isobel thanked her warmly. "It seems an unkind thing to say," sheadded, at the conclusion of her little outburst of gratitude. "But Ialmost wish that Guy were a poor man."
Mary looked at her questioningly; she did not, for the moment, catch thedrift of her thoughts.
"There couldn't, then, be all this fuss and trouble," explained Isobel,with a little catch in her voice. "People wouldn't be able to thinkthat I had run after him, they would know I only cared for him forhimself. Now, whatever happens, they will always think the worst ofme."
Mary whispered back the consoling answer, "There are two people who willnever think that, myself and Guy."
The happy hours passed. They all saw Mary off by her train, and alittle later the General and his daughter went back to Eastbourne.
There were many delightful days to follow, days when Guy ran down, dinedwith the General, and put up for the night at the "Queen's."
And then the time drew near for Guy to take up his new post, to leaveLondon for Madrid. Still, things we
re not any further advanced. Inspite of Lady Mary's powerful and persistent advocacy, the Earl remainedas obdurate as ever. If Guy insisted upon making Isobel Clandon hiswife, all friendly relations between father and son would be suspended.
On the night preceding the young diplomatist's departure, there was afarewell dinner, this time at a less public restaurant than the Savoy.The party was the same, Guy and his sister, Isobel and her father.
Lady Mary would have to stay the night in London. This she had arrangedto do with an old girl friend, now married, Lady May Brendon.
The Earl, with that uncanny sense which distinguishes some people,suddenly had an inkling of the truth. Guy had said good-bye to them theday before. "I believe it's all a blind," he burst out angrily, a fewminutes before Mary's departure. "You may
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