He departed in despair of softening matters between the rash son and indignant parents. To them he greatly modified the nature of the useless interview, but they heard of Lennard's determination with perfect unconcern, and even with a grim smile of contempt, never doubting that when money pressure came upon him they would find him at their mercy. But that time never came. Mr. Kippilaw returned to Edinburgh, and there the affair seemed to end. The parting words of Lord Fettercairn to him were said smilingly and loftily:-- 'The French have a little phrase, which in six words expresses all our experiences in life.' 'And this phrase, my lord?' 'Is simply--_tout passe, tout casse, tout lasse_--that we outlive everything in turn and in time--and so this matter of Lennard's pride will be a matter of time only. Be assured we shall outlive the indignation of our misguided son.' 'But will you outlive your own?' 'Never!' 'I can but hope that you will, my lord. Remember the hackneyed quotation from Pope--"To err is human, to forgive divine." 'I never forgive!' replied his lordship bitterly. The name of Lennard was never uttered again by his parents, nor even by his brother Cosmo (then reading up at Oxford) till the hour for forgiveness was past; and even Cosmo they contrived to innoculate with their own cruel and unchristian sentiment of hostility. Lennard's portrait was removed from its place of honour in the dining-hall, and banished to the lumber-attic; the goods, chattels, and mementoes he left at home were scattered and dispersed; even his horses were sold, and the saddles he had used; and the Fettercairn family would--could they have done so--have obliterated his name from the great double-columned tome of Sir Bernard Burke. Heedless of all that, the young husband and his dark-eyed girl-wife were all the world to each other. 'After mamma followed papa to the grave, Lennard--for she never held up her head after she heard of his death at Khooshab,' said Flora, as she nestled her head in his neck, 'I seemed to be condemned to a life of hardship, humiliation, and heartlessness, till I met you, dearest. I felt that even the love of some dumb animal--a dog or a horse--was better than the entire absence of affection in the narrow circle of my life. I did so long for something or some one to love me exclusively--I felt so miserably, so utterly alone in the world. Now I have you--_you_ to love me. But in winning you I have robbed you of the love of all your people.' 'Talk not of it, and think not of it, dearest Flora. We are now more than ever all in all to each other.' The money bribe, offered in such a way and for such a purpose, exasperated Lennard still more against his family, and drew many a tear of humiliation from Flora in secret.