"I won't mention names," I said. "But I know a case myself. The son of a duke took a fancy to a poor governess, and married her for her looks. He was infatuated with her at first sight, he followed her everywhere, he wouldn't take her refusal, he quarrelled with his father for her sake: and at last he got her. What happened? Although she was as well educated as he was, he tired of her in a year."
"But I suppose, Miss, she has all she wants?" said Susan, pouting harder than ever.
"She has all she wants," I replied scornfully, "in the way of house and clothes and food. But, Susan, think. What if she wants him?"
Susan was silent. I drove it home.
"What if she wants him? And what if she hardly ever sees him? Susan, I don't care to talk to you about such things; but this affair of Lord Ruddington is too serious for mincing words. The reason why the woman I'm telling you about never sees her husband is that he's the slave of another woman--a woman neither so pretty nor so clever nor so good-tempered nor even so well-born as his poor wife. Susan, would you like a life like that, even if you could live it in silks and old laces amidst all the luxury of Ruddington Towers?"
Susan was blushing hotly, as I had intended and hoped she would.
"Oh no, Miss," she said eagerly, all her honest blood and good training coming to the rescue. "But I don't think Lord Ruddington would do those sort of things."
"You think. But you don't know. Susan, I'm going to put you an old-fashioned question. Do you think it would be right to marry a man--never mind whether it's Lord Ruddington, or Gibson, or any other man--if you didn't love him?"
I was trying my poor, honest Susan too searchingly. Tears again shone in her blue eyes. Her colour came and went. She turned away her head.
"Never mind, Susan," I said, very much more kindly. "I can guess your answer. And I can read your mind. You don't love Lord Ruddington. It isn't possible you should, at present. But you think it will be so lovely to be Lady Ruddington that you mean to make yourself love him whatever happens."