He inquired no further, only
gave her the best advice in his power: to be watchful, and counteract the
dowager's influence, as far as she could; and trust to time; doing her
own duty religiously by the children.
What Anne had not mentioned to Dr. Ashton was her husband's conduct in
the matter. In that one respect she could read him no better than of old.
Devoted to her as he was, as she knew him to be, in the children's petty
disputes he invariably took the part of his first wife's--to the glowing
satisfaction of the countess-dowager. No matter how glaringly wrong they
might be, how tyrannical, Hartledon screened the elder, and--to use the
expression of the nurses--snubbed the younger. Kind and good though Lady
Hartledon was, she felt it acutely; and, to say the truth, was sorely
puzzled and perplexed.
Lord Elster was an ailing child, and Mr. Brook, the apothecary, was
always in attendance when they were in London. Lady Hartledon thought the
boy's health might have been better left more to nature, but she would
not have said so for the world. The dowager, on the contrary, would have
preferred that half the metropolitan faculty should see him daily. She
had a jealous dread of anything happening to the boy, and Anne's son
becoming the heir.
Lord Hartledon was a busy man now, and had a place in the
Government--though not as yet in the Cabinet.
Pages:
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535