Bell had first gone up-stairs, Mrs. Shaw lay asleep on the sofa; and no sound broke the silence. Mrs. Thornton gave Mr. Bell her formal, hospitable welcome. She was never so gracious as when receiving her Son's friends in her son's house; and the more unexpected they were, the more honour to her admirable housekeeping preparations for comfort. 'How is Miss Hale?' she asked. 'About as broken down by this last stroke as she can be.' 'I am sure it is very well for her that she has such a friend as you.' 'I wish I were her only friend, madam. I daresay it sounds very brutal;but here have I been displaced, and turned out of my post of comforter and adviser by a fine lady aunt; and there are cousins and what not claiming her in London, as if she were a lap-dog belonging to them. And she is too weak and miserable to have a will of her own.' 'She must indeed be weak,' said Mrs. Thornton, with an implied meaning which her son understood well. 'But where,' continued Mrs. Thornton, 'have these relations been all this time that Miss Hale has appeared almost friendless, and has certainly had a good deal of anxiety to bear?' But she did not feel interest enough in the answer to her question to wait for it. She left the room to make her household arrangements. 'They have been living abroad. They have some kind of claim upon her. Iwill do them that justice. The aunt brought her up, and she and the cousin have been like sisters. The thing vexing me, you see, is that I wanted to take her for a child of my own; and I am jealous of these people, who don't seem to value the privilege of their right. Now it would be different if Frederick claimed her.' 'Frederick!' exclaimed Mr. Thornton. 'Who is he? What right--?' Me stopped short in his vehement question. 'Frederick,' said Mr. Bell in surprise. 'Why don't you know? He's her brother.
Have you not heard--' 'I never heard his name before. Where is he? Who is he?' 'Surely I told you about him, when the family first came to Milton--the son who was concerned in that mutiny.' 'I never heard of him till this moment. Where does he live?' 'In Spain. He's liable to be arrested the moment he sets foot on English ground. Poor fellow! he will grieve at not being able to attend his father's funeral. We must be content with Captain Lennox; for I don't know of any other relation to summon.' 'I hope I may be allowed to go?' 'Certainly; thankfully. You're a good fellow, after all, Thornton. Hale liked you. He spoke to me, only the other day, about you at Oxford. He regretted he had seen so little of you lately. I am obliged to you for wishing to show him respect.' 'But about Frederick. Does he never come to England?' 'Never.' 'He was not over here about the time of Mrs. Hale's death?' 'No. Why, I was here then. I hadn't seen Hale for years and years and, if you remember, I came-- No, it was some time after that that I came.
But poor Frederick Hale was not here then. What made you think he was?' 'I saw a young man walking with Miss Hale one day,' replied Mr. Thornton, 'and I think it was about that time.' 'Oh, that would be this young Lennox, the Captain's brother. He's a lawyer, and they were in pretty constant correspondence with him; and I remember Mr. Hale told me he thought he would come down. Do you know,' said Mr.
Bell, wheeling round, and shutting one eye, the better to bring the forces of the other to bear with keen scrutiny on Mr. Thornton's face, 'that Ionce fancied you had a little tenderness for Margaret?' No answer. No change of countenance. 'And so did poor Hale. Not at first, and not till I had put it into his head.' 'I admired Miss Hale. Every one must do so. She is a beautiful creature,'
