Lady Anna

Excerpt: ... FOR NOTHING. XXXV. THE SERJEANT AND MRS. BLUESTONE AT HOME. XXXVI. IT IS STILL TRUE. XXXVII. LET HER DIE. XXXVIII. LADY ANNA'S BEDSIDE. XXXIX. LADY ANNA'S OFFER. XL. NO DISGRACE AT ALL. XLI. NEARER AND NEARER. XLII. DANIEL THWAITE COMES TO KEPPEL STREET. XLIII. DANIEL THWAITE COMES AGAIN. XLIV. THE ATTEMPT AND NOT THE DEED CONFOUNDS US. XLV. THE LAWYERS AGREE. XLVI. HARD LINES. XLVII. THINGS ARRANGE THEMSELVES. XLVIII. THE MARRIAGE. LADY ANNA. CHAPTER XXV. DANIEL THWAITE'S LETTER. On the day following that on which Daniel Thwaite had visited Lady Lovel in Keppel Street, the Countess received from him a packet containing a short note to herself, and the following letter addressed to Lady Anna. The enclosure was open, and in the letter addressed to the Countess the tailor simply asked her to read and to send on to her daughter that which he had written, adding that if she would do so he would promise to abide by any answer which might come to him in Lady Anna's own handwriting. Daniel Thwaite when he made this offer felt that he was giving up everything. Even though the words might be written by the girl, they would be dictated by the girl's mother, or by those lawyers who were now leagued together to force her into a marriage with the Earl. But it was right, he thought,-and upon the whole best for all parties,-that he should give up everything. He could not bring himself to say so to the Countess or to any of those lawyers, when he was sent for and told that because of the lowliness of his position a marriage between him and the highly born heiress was impossible. On such occasions he revolted from the authority of those who endeavoured to extinguish him. But, when alone, he could see at any rate as clearly as they did, the difficulties which lay in his way. He also knew that there was a great gulf fixed, as Miss Alice Bluestone had said,-though he differed from the young lady as to the side of the gulf on which lay heaven, and on...