false to his holiest plighted public vow—and the wide world knowing to it! He bears my name—Glendinning. I will disown it; were it like this dress, I would tear my name off from me, and burn it till it shrivelled to a crisp!—Pierre! Pierre! come back, come back, and swear it is not so! It cannot be! Wait: I will ring the bell and see if it be so,'
She rung the bell with violence, and soon heard a responsive knock.
'Come in!—Nay, falter not'; (throwing a shawl over her) 'come in. Stand there and tell me if thou darest, that my son was in this house this morning and met me on the stairs. Darest thou say that?'
Dates looked confounded at her most unwonted aspect.
'Say it! find thy tongue! Or I will root mine out and fling it at thee! Say it!'
'My dear mistress!'
'I am not thy mistress! but thou my master; for, if thou sayest it, thou commandest me to madness.—Oh, vile boy!—Begone from me!'
She locked the door upon him, and swiftly and distractedly walked her chamber. She paused, and tossing down the curtains, shut out the sun from the two windows.
Another, but an unsummoned knock, was at the door. She opened it.
'My mistress, his Reverence is below. I would not call you, but he insisted.'
'Let him come up.'
'Here? Immediately?'
'Didst thou hear me? Let Mr. Falsgrave come up.'
As if suddenly and admonishingly made aware, by Dates, of the ungovernable mood of Mrs. Glendinning, the clergyman entered the open door of her chamber with a most deprecating but honest reluctance, and apprehensiveness of he knew not what.
'Be seated, sir; stay, shut the door and lock it.'
'Madam!'
