Page 1120 - bleak-house

look at her with such strange mistrust?
‘What is the matter? Sit down and take your breath.’
‘Oh, my Lady, my Lady. I have found my son—my young-
est, who went away for a soldier so long ago. And he is in
prison.’
‘For debt?’
‘Oh, no, my Lady; I would have paid any debt, and joy-
ful.’
‘For what is he in prison then?’
‘Charged with a murder, my Lady, of which he is as
innocent as—as I am. Accused of the murder of Mr. Tulk-
inghorn.’
What does she mean by this look and this imploring ges-
ture? Why does she come so close? What is the letter that
she holds?
‘Lady Dedlock, my dear Lady, my good Lady, my kind
Lady! You must have a heart to feel for me, you must have
a heart to forgive me. I was in this family before you were
born. I am devoted to it. But think of my dear son wrong-
fully accused.’
‘I do not accuse him.’
‘No, my Lady, no. But others do, and he is in prison and
in danger. Oh, Lady Dedlock, if you can say but a word to
help to clear him, say it!’
What delusion can this be? What power does she suppose
is in the person she petitions to avert this unjust suspicion,
if it be unjust? Her Lady’s handsome eyes regard her with
astonishment, almost with fear.
‘My Lady, I came away last night from Chesney Wold to

1120 Bleak House