"Don't be personal, Westenra—proceed." "Mother wants to live in a cottage in the country." "I do not see how she could possibly do it," said the Duchess. "A cottage in the country! Why, on that pittance she could scarcely afford a workman's cottage, but I will speak to my friends; something must be arranged immediately. Your dear, lovely, fragile mother! We must get her a suite of apartments at Hampton Court. Oh! my poor child, this is terrible." "But we do not choose to consider it terrible," I replied, "nor will we be beholden to the charity of our friends. Now, here is the gist of the matter. I have urged mother to take a house in Bloomsbury." "Bloomsbury?" said the Duchess a little vaguely. "Oh, please Duchess, you must know. Bloomsbury is a very nice, healthy part of the town. There 14 are big Squares and big houses; the British Museum is there—now, you know." 14 "Oh, of course, that dreary pile, and you would live close to it. But why, why? Is it a very cheap neighbourhood?" "By no means; but city men find it convenient, and women who work for their living like it also, and country folks who come to town for a short time find it a good centre. So we mean to go there, and—and make money. We will take our furniture and make the house attractive and—and take paying guests. We will keep a boarding-house. Now you know." I stood up. There was a wild excited feeling all over me. The most daring flight of imagination could never associate the gracious Duchess of Wilmot with a lodging-house keeper, and mother had always hitherto been the Duchess's equal. I had never before felt distrait or nervous in the Duchess's presence, but now I knew that there was a gulf between us—that I stood on one side of the gulf and the Duchess on the other. I stretched out my hands imploringly. "I know you will never speak to me again, you never can, it is not to be thought of. This is good-bye, for we must do it. I see you understand. Mother said that it would part us from our friends, and I thought she was wrong, but I see now that she was right. This is good-bye." Before she could prevent me I dropped on my 15 knees and raised the jewelled hand to my lips, and kissed it passionately. 15
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