The New Magdalen

"I am straying from my subject. And--is it not strange?--I am writing to

you as confidentially as if we were old friends.

"To return to Julian Gray. Innocent of instigating his aunt's first

visit to the Refuge, he is guilty of having induced her to go there for

the second time the day after I had dispatched my last letter to you.

Lady Janet's object on this occasion was neither more nor less than to

plead her nephew's cause as humble suitor for the hand of Mercy Merrick.

Imagine the descent of one of the oldest families in England inviting an

adventuress in a Refuge to honor a clergyman of the Church of England by

becoming his wife! In what times do we live! My dear mother shed tears

of shame when she heard of it. How you would love and admire my mother!

"I dined at Mablethorpe House, by previous appointment, on the day when

Lady Janet returned from her degrading errand.

"'Well?' I said, waiting, of course, until the servant was out of the

room.

"'Well,' Lady Janet answered, 'Julian was quite right.' "'Quite right in what?' "'In saying that the earth holds no nobler woman than Mercy Merrick.' "'Has she refused him again?' "'She has refused him again.' "'Thank God!' I felt it fervently, and I said it fervently. Lady Janet

laid down her knife and fork, and fixed one of her fierce looks on me.

"'It may not be your fault, Horace,' she said, 'if your nature is

incapable of comprehending what is great and generous in other natures

higher than yours. But the least you can do is to distrust your

own capacity of appreciation. For the future keep your opinions (on

questions which you don't understand) modestly to yourself. I have a

tenderness for you for your father's sake; and I take the most favorable

view of your conduct toward Mercy Merrick. I humanely consider it the

conduct of a fool.' (Her own words, Miss Roseberry. I assure you

once more, her own words.) 'But don't trespass too far on my

indulgence--don't insinuate again that a woman who is good enough (if

she died this night) to go to heaven, is _not_ good enough to be my

nephew's wife.' "I expressed to you my conviction a little way back that it was doubtful

whether poor Lady Janet would be much longer competent to manage her own

affairs. Perhaps you thought me hasty then? What do you think now?

"It was, of course, useless to reply seriously to the extraordinary

reprimand that I had received. Besides, I was really shocked by a decay

of principle which proceeded but too plainly from decay of the mental

powers. I made a soothing and respectful reply, and I was favored in

return with some account of what had really happened at the Refuge. My

mother and my sisters were disgusted when I repeated the particulars to

them. You will be disgusted too.