THE ANCESTRESS.
145
The first held wealth and rank,—the younger one
Dependent; 'tis a bitter word, and most
When bred together in equality.
And then the younger brother rashly wed,
And lovely children crowded at his knee,
Foredoom'd to the same life that he had led,
Where pride and poverty contend, and shame
Grows deeper from suppression. Years pass'd on:
At length a deadly sickness smote the Count;
His brother, with a strange unholy joy,
Stood by the dying man; for he was heir
To that proud castle and its wide domain,
And past loves were all lost in future hopes.
Then was a secret told him which destroy'd
Those golden dreams,—that brother had a child!
Death scoffs at worldly vanities, and death
L
