“I,” proceeded her son, “to whom the property would and ought to have come—and I to whom it will come—”
“But are you sure of that?”
“Not, I am afraid, while I have such a mother as you are—a woman in whom I can place no confidence with safety. Why did you betray me to this silly family?”
“Because, as I said before, I could not help it; my temper got the better of me.”
“Ay, and I fear it will always get the better of you. I could now give you very agreeable information as to that property and the piece of curds that possesses it; but then, as I said, there is no placing any confidence in a woman of your temper.”
“If the property is concerned, Harry, you may depend your life on me. So help me, God, if ever I will betray you again.”
“Well, that's a solemn asseveration, and I will depend on it; but if you betray me to this family the property is lost to us and our heirs forever.”
“Do not fear me; I have taken the oath.”
“Well, then, listen; if you could understand Latin, I would give you a quotation from a line of Virgil—
'Haeret lateri lethhalis arundo.'