What reports could he mean? No--I could get no more out of him; he
was too cautious to commit himself, and seemed to be satisfied by
observing that if I changed my mind, I could at any time leave my
nephews.
"Her nephews," I heard him mutter to himgelf; "yes, her nephews.
No one has any right to object, and she can but judge for herself--
there's no harm done."
I shall always believe, however, that he set on my friends to
remonstrate, for letters began coming in, in all the senses of the
imperative mood, commanding and entreating me to leave Arghouse.
There was one such as only Lord Erymanth could write. He was an old
man, and never could make short work of anything. They say that his
chief political value was to be set on when anyone was wanted to
speak against time. I know he was very dreadful at all the platforms
in the county; but he was very good and conscientious, and everyone
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.
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