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303
The Book of Dreams and Ghosts
·
Andrew Lang
167
"At
the
conclusion
of
three
years
thus
passed,
one
luckless
day
"Young
Gorges"
most
vehemently
professed
his
passion
for
her,
and
solicited
her
hand,
urging
his
suit
in
a
most
passionate
appeal,
which
was
evidently
not
displeasing
to
the
fair
widow,
and
which,
unfortunately
for
her,
was
successful.
They
were
married
in
1704.
One
son
and
two
daughters
were
born
to
them,
when
his
abandoned
and
dissolute
conduct
forced
her
to
seek
and
to
obtain
a
separation.
After
this
had
continued
for
four
years,
General
Gorges
pretended
extreme
penitence
for
his
past
misdeeds,
and
with
the
most
solemn
promises
of
amendment
induced
his
wife
to
live
with
him
again,
and
she
became
the
mother
of
a
second
son.
The
day
month
after
her
confinement
happened
to
be
her
birthday,
and
having
recovered
and
feeling
herself
equal
to
some
exertion,
she
sent
for
her
son,
Sir
Marcus
Beresford,
then
twenty
years
old,
and
her
married
daughter,
Lady
Riverston.
She
also
invited
Dr.
King,
the
Archbishop
of
Dublin
(who
was
an
intimate
friend),
and
an
old
clergyman
who
had
christened
her,
and
who
had
always
kept
up
a
most
kindly
intercourse
with
her
during
her
whole
life,
to
make
up
a
small
party
to
celebrate
the
day.
"In
the
early
part
of
it
Lady
Beresford
was
engaged
in
a
kindly
conversation
with
her
old
friend
the
clergyman,
and
in
the
course
of
it
said:
'You
know
that
I
am
forty-eight
this
day'.
'No,
indeed,'
he
replied;
'you
are
only
forty-seven,
for
your
mother
had
a
dispute
with
me
once
on
the
very
subject
of
your
age,
and
I
in
consequence
sent
and
consulted
the
registry,
and
can
most
confidently
assert
that
you
are
only
forty-seven
this
day.'
'You
have
signed
my
death-warrant,
then,'
she
cried;
'leave
me,
I
pray,
for
I
have
not
much
longer
to
live,
but
have
many
things
of
grave
importance
to
settle
before
I
die.
Send
my
son
and
my
daughter
to
me
immediately.'
The
clergyman
did
as
he
was
bidden.
He
directed
Sir
Marcus
and
his
sister
to
go
instantly
to
their
mother;
and
he
sent
to
the
archbishop
and
a
few
other
friends
to
put
them
off
from
joining
the
birthday
party.
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