Troubles were coming, indeed, so thick and fast that my mind was in a
confusion. I did not know whether to tell my godmother or not what I had
overheard. She had a straight way of going to the root of things.
Supposing that she did as she had threatened, and went to Dawson himself
for the truth, might she not exasperate him into making public the thing
which had so much power to frighten Lord and Lady St. Leger? I had
gathered that there was disgrace hanging over us, disgrace, and
homelessness for Theobald and me. Aghadoe Abbey was dear to us as flesh
and blood. Was it possible that it could pass away from us into the
possession of the Dawsons? Why, I would a thousand times rather that
fire had it and that it should be consumed to ashes.
It should have been a small thing by comparison that my grandfather had
said I was to go to the Dawsons' dinner-party, but I had so violent an
aversion to going that the matter really bulked large in the list of
troubles. I should not mind so much if Richard Dawson were not present,
and of course it might be that already he had found us too dull and had
gone away on his wanderings.
But this little hope of mine was destined very soon to be extinguished.
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