"You do not fear that I may live to weep over the day when my son was born ?" The earl smiled, and that quiet, half-amused smile, coming upon her in her excited state, seemed to soothe the mother more than any reasoning could have done.
"No, Helen, I do not think any such thing.

I think the lad has been very foolish, and we may have been the same.

We kept him in leading-strings too long, and trusted him out of them too suddenly.

But as to his being altogether bad--Helen Cardross's son, and the minister's grandson--nonsense, my dear." Mr.Cardross might have heard himself named, for he stirred in his peaceful slumbers, and Helen hastily took her letter from Lord Cairnforth's hand." "Not a word to him.

He is too old.