I too have felt--I am a lonely woman; you--you are young enough--you might be--shall we say that I have been drawn to you as you say you have been drawn to me--you said so, did you not ?--that I have felt as if I were--your mother." "I wish to God you were!" said Derrick, huskily, and feeling, with amazement, and an Englishman's annoyance, that his own eyes were moist.
"Let us pretend that we are--mother and son," she said, in so low a voice as to be almost inaudible.

"Therefore, as a son, you need conceal nothing from me.

Tell me, who is this man whose name escaped you ?" As she asked the question, she made an evident effort to control her agitation, and her voice and manner were well-nigh calm, and infinitely tender and persuasive.
"Oh, Heyton!" said Derrick, feeling that he would be quite safe to tell her everything.

"He is the eldest, the only, son of the Marquess of Sutcombe; and, of course, he will be the next Marquess; and, of course, that's the reason why Miriam--Miriam Ainsley--chucked me and married him." "This Lord Heyton, what manner of man is he ?" she said.
"Oh, I'm afraid he's a bad lot; you'll see that, or he wouldn't have played this low down trick on me.

He's a weak sort of fellow who has played the fool pretty thoroughly.