“Poor Phil!” he said, laying his hand caressingly upon his shoulder! “you can never know how worthy your father was of love, or how he would have loved you.”
“Oh, would he have loved me?” exclaimed Philip eagerly.
“Would he?” said Lord Ashden in surprise; “of course he would; what doubt could there be?”
“I thought--I was afraid--I mean--I didn’t know,” said Philip, hesitating and feeling that he was on dangerous ground.
“What did you think and fear, and what didn’t you know?” said his friend, smiling.
Philip’s embarrassment continued, but he saw a look of expectancy in the eyes turned to his which made him feel that an answer was necessary. He had never been forbidden to mention his mother, but he felt instinctively that his relatives did not expect to hear her alluded to. Now he felt that he could not explain his feelings without speaking of her, and hence his confusion; but there was no escape now, so he honestly uttered his thoughts.
“I thought he would have disliked me on account of my mother,” said he, hanging his head to conceal his flushed face.
“Dislike you on account of your mother?” repeated the other in surprise.
“Yes,” said Philip, still keeping his face out of sight. “She was not like him, you know.”
“I do not see how that should make any difference,” said Lord Ashden gravely. “Has any one said anything to you against your mother?”
“One of my cousins said once that she brought disgrace upon the family,” murmured Philip. He might have added that Marion also called her a low, common woman, but he could not have told that.
“For shame!” exclaimed Lord Ashden. “Now listen, Philip, to what I have to say of your mother. I never saw her, you know, because--well, I never did see her, but I understand that she was not only beautiful, but also good, true, and noble. A mother that any boy might be very fond and proud of.”
“Oh, yes, she was all that and more,” cried Philip, his eyes full of tears of sorrow and of pride to hear his mother so praised; and then suddenly the sorrow conquered all else and he began to sob. Lord Ashden was in dismay, but Philip soon looked up, smiling through his tears.
“You must excuse me,” he said, “but, kind as everybody is to me, I do miss my mother terribly. Oh, terribly!”