looked up to him as a sort of father of the country.

But oh! that letter! Such a battery of heavy arguments against my
unprecedented step in taking up my residence with these unfortunate
young men, who, though they had not themselves openly transgressed
the law of the land, yet were the offspring of unhallowed unions with
the children of a felon. I cannot go through it all, but it hinted
that besides their origin, there was some terrible stain on Harold,
and that society could not admit them; so that if I persisted in
casting in my lot with them, I should share the ban. Indeed, he
would have thought my own good sense and love of decorum would have
taught me that the abode of two such youths would be no fit place for
the daughter of such respected parents, and there was a good deal
more that I could not understand about interceding with his sister,
and her overlooking my offence in consideration of my inexperience
and impulsiveness.

On my first impulse I wrote to thank my old friend, but to say I
could see no harm in an aunt's being with her nephews, and that I was
sure he had only to know them to lay aside all doubts of their being
thorough gentlemen and associates for anybody. My little niece
required my care, and I should stay and give it to her till some
other arrangement was made. If Lady Diana were displeased with me,
I was very sorry, but I could see no reason for it.

When I looked over the old Earl's letter, before closing mine, some
expressions wound out of the mist that made me uncomfortable,
especially when I recollected that though it was a week since their
arrival, no one had attempted to call but Mr. Crosse, the vicar of
Mycening, a very "good man in the pulpit," as the servants said, and