“Only for a while, old lady,” said the young man; and passing his arm round her he left the room.
No one moved till the gate had been heard to clang, when, without word or look, Gertrude turned and hurried up to her chamber, to fling herself upon her knees, sobbing violently.
“And I have promised to be his wife,” she moaned. “What shall I do? What shall I do?”
“Well, Phineas,” said Mrs Hampton, after she had stood looking frowningly at her husband for some time as he sat tapping the table, “what have you to say to all this?”
“Eh? Nothing.”
“But you see that was the real man.”
“No, I don’t. He must prove it.”
“But this other one.”
“Is to us Mr George Harrington.”
“But when he comes back from Paris what will he say?”