shewas
to
be
pitied
at
any
rate
,
if
not
to
be
forgiven
.
Now
,
as
she
thought
of
Nethercoats
,
with
its
quiet
life
,
its
gardens
,
its
books
,
and
the
peaceful
affectionate
ascendancy
of
him
who
would
have
been
her
lord
and
master
,
her
feelings
were
very
different
from
those
which
had
induced
her
to
resolve
that
she
would
not
stoop
to
put
her
neck
beneath
that
yoke
.
Would
it
not
have
been
well
for
her
to
have
a
master
who
by
his
wisdom
and
strength
could
save
her
from
such
wretched
doubtings
as
these
?
But
she
had
refused
to
bend
,
and
then
she
had
found
herself
desolate
and
alone
in
the
world
.
"
If
I
can
do
him
good
why
should
I
not
marry
him
?
"
In
that
feeling
had
been
the
chief
argument
which
had
induced
her
to
return
such
an
answer
as
she
had
sent
to
her
cousin
.
"
For
myself
,
what
does
it
matter
?
As
to
this
life
of
mine
and
all
that
belongs
to
it
,
why
should
I
regard
it
otherwise
than
to
make
it
of
some
service
to
some
one
who
is
dear
to
me
?
"
He
had
been
ever
dear
to
her
from
her
earliest
years
.
She
believed
in
his
intellect
,
even
if
she
could
not
believe
in
his
conduct
.
Kate
,
her
friend
,
longed
for
this
thing
.
As
for
that
dream
of
love
,
it
meant
nothing
;
and
as
for
those
arguments
of
prudence
,
—
that
cold
calculation
about
her
money
,
which
all
people
seemed
to
expect
from
her
,
—
she
would
throw
it
to
the
winds
.
What
if
she
were
ruined
!
There
was
always
the
other
chance
.
She
might
save
him
from
ruin
,
and
help
him
to
honour
and
fortune
.
But
then
,
when
the
word
was
once
past
her
lips
,
there
returned
to
her
that
true
woman
's
feeling
which
made
her
plead
for
a
long
day
,
—
which
made
her
feel
that
that
long
day
would
be
all
too
short
,
—
which
made
her
already
dread
the
coming
of
the
end
of
the
year
.
She
had
said
that
she
would
become
George
Vavasor
's
wife
,
but
she
wished
that
the
saying
so
might
be
the
end
of
it
.
When
he
came
to
her
to
embrace
her
how
should
she
receive
him
?
The
memory
of
John
Grey
's
last
kiss
still
lingered
on
her
lips
.
She
had
told
herself
that
she
scorned
the
delights
of
love
;
if
it
were
so
,
was
she
not
bound
to
keep
herself
far
from
them
;
if
it
were
so
,
—
would
not
her
cousin
's
kiss
pollute
her
?
"
It
may
be
as
my
father
says
,
"
she
thought
.
"
It
may
be
that
he
wants
my
money
only
;
if
so
,
let
him
have
it
.
Surely
when
the
year
is
over
I
shall
know
.
"
Then
a
plan
formed
itself
in
her
head
,
which
she
did
not
make
willingly
,
with
any
voluntary
action
of
her
mind
,
—
but
which
came
upon
her
as
plans
do
come
,
—
and
recommended
itself
to
her
in
despite
of
herself
.
He
should
have
her
money
as
he
might
call
for
it
,
—
all
of
it
excepting
some
small
portion
of
her
income
,
which
might
suffice
to
keep
her
from
burdening
her
father
.
Then
,
if
he
were
contented
,
he
should
go
free
,
without
reproach
,
and
there
should
be
an
end
of
all
question
of
marriage
for
her
.
As
she
thought
of
this
,
and
matured
it
in
her
mind
,
the
door
opened
,
and
the
servant
announced
her
cousin
George
.
CHAPTER
XXXV
.
Passion
versus
Prudence
.
It
had
not
occurred
to
Alice
that
her
accepted
lover
would
come
to
her
so
soon
.
She
had
not
told
him
expressly
of
the
day
on
which
she
would
return
,
and
had
not
reflected
that
Kate
would
certainly
inform
him
.
She
had
been
thinking
so
much
of
the
distant
perils
of
this
engagement
,
that
this
peril
,
so
sure
to
come
upon
her
before
many
days
or
hours
could
pass
by
,
had
been
forgotten
.
When
the
name
struck
her
ear
,
and
George
's
step
was
heard
outside
on
the
landing-place
,
she
felt
the
blood
rush
violently
to
her
heart
,
and
she
jumped
up
from
her
seat
panic-stricken
and
in
utter
dismay
.
How
should
she
receive
him
?
And
then
again
,
with
what
form
of
affection
would
she
be
accosted
by
him
?
But
he
was
there
in
the
room
with
her
before
she
had
had
a
moment
allowed
to
her
for
thought
.
She
hardly
ventured
to
look
up
at
him
;
but
,
nevertheless
,
she
became
aware
that
there
was
something
in
his
appearance
and
dress
brighter
,
more
lover-like
,
perhaps
newer
,
than
was
usual
with
him
.
This
in
itself
was
an
affliction
to
her
.
He
ought
to
have
understood
that
such
an
engagement
as
theirs
not
only
did
not
require
,
but
absolutely
forbade
,
any
such
symptom
of
young
love
as
this
.
Even
when
their
marriage
came
,
if
it
must
come
,
it
should
come
without
any
customary
sign
of
smartness
,
without
any
outward
mark
of
exaltation
.
It
would
have
been
very
good
in
him
to
have
remained
away
from
her
for
weeks
and
months
;
but
to
come
upon
her
thus
,
on
the
first
morning
of
her
return
,
was
a
cruelty
not
to
be
forgiven
.
These
were
the
feelings
with
which
Alice
regarded
her
betrothed
when
he
came
to
see
her
.
"
Alice
,
"
said
he
,
coming
up
to
her
with
his
extended
hand
,
—
"
Dearest
Alice
!
"
She
gave
him
her
hand
,
and
muttered
some
word
which
was
inaudible
even
to
him
;
she
gave
him
her
hand
,
and
immediately
endeavoured
to
resume
it
,
but
he
held
it
clenched
within
his
own
,
and
she
felt
that
she
was
his
prisoner
.
He
was
standing
close
to
her
now
,
and
she
could
not
escape
from
him
.
She
was
trembling
with
fear
lest
worse
might
betide
her
even
than
this
.
She
had
promised
to
marry
him
,
and
now
she
was
covered
with
dismay
as
she
felt
rather
than
thought
how
very
far
she
was
from
loving
the
man
to
whom
she
had
given
this
promise
.
"
Alice
,
"
he
said
,
"
I
am
a
man
once
again
.
It
is
only
now
that
I
can
tell
you
what
I
have
suffered
during
these
last
few
years
.
"
He
still
held
her
hand
,
but
he
had
not
as
yet
attempted
any
closer
embrace
.
She
knew
that
she
was
standing
away
from
him
awkwardly
,
almost
showing
her
repugnance
to
him
;
but
it
was
altogether
beyond
her
power
to
assume
an
attitude
of
ordinary
ease
.
"
Alice
,
"
he
continued
,
"
I
feel
that
I
am
a
strong
man
again
,
armed
to
meet
the
world
at
all
points
.
Will
you
not
let
me
thank
you
for
what
you
have
done
for
me
?
"
She
must
speak
to
him
!
Though
the
doing
so
should
be
ever
so
painful
to
her
,
she
must
say
some
word
to
him
which
should
have
in
it
a
sound
of
kindness
.
After
all
,
it
was
his
undoubted
right
to
come
to
her
,
and
the
footing
on
which
he
assumed
to
stand
was
simply
that
which
she
herself
had
given
to
him
.
It
was
not
his
fault
if
at
this
moment
he
inspired
her
with
disgust
rather
than
with
love
.
"
I
have
done
nothing
for
you
,
George
,
"
she
said
,
"
nothing
at
all
.
"
Then
she
got
her
hand
away
from
him
,
and
retreated
back
to
a
sofa
where
she
seated
herself
,
leaving
him
still
standing
in
the
space
before
the
fire
.
"
That
you
may
do
much
for
yourself
is
my
greatest
hope
.
If
I
can
help
you
,
I
will
do
so
most
heartily
.
"
Then
she
became
thoroughly
ashamed
of
her
words
,
feeling
that
she
was
at
once
offering
to
him
the
use
of
her
purse
.
"
Of
course
you
will
help
me
,
"
he
said
.
"
I
am
full
of
plans
,
all
of
which
you
must
share
with
me
.
But
now
,
at
this
moment
,
my
one
great
plan
is
that
in
which
you
have
already
consented
to
be
my
partner
.
Alice
,
you
are
my
wife
now
.
Tell
me
that
it
will
make
you
happy
to
call
me
your
husband
.
"
Not
for
worlds
could
she
have
said
so
at
this
moment
.
It
was
ill-judged
in
him
to
press
her
thus
.
He
should
already
have
seen
,
with
half
an
eye
,
that
no
such
triumph
as
that
which
he
now
demanded
could
be
his
on
this
occasion
.
He
had
had
his
triumph
when
,
in
the
solitude
of
his
own
room
,
with
quiet
sarcasm
he
had
thrown
on
one
side
of
him
the
letter
in
which
she
had
accepted
him
,
as
though
the
matter
had
been
one
almost
indifferent
to
him
.
He
had
no
right
to
expect
the
double
triumph
.
Then
he
had
frankly
told
himself
that
her
money
would
be
useful
to
him
.
He
should
have
been
contented
with
that
conviction
,
and
not
have
required
her
also
to
speak
to
him
soft
winning
words
of
love
.
"
That
must
be
still
distant
,
George
,
"
she
said
.
"
I
have
suffered
so
much
!
"
"
And
it
has
been
my
fault
that
you
have
suffered
;
I
know
that
.
These
years
of
misery
have
been
my
doing
.
"
It
was
,
however
,
the
year
of
coming
misery
that
was
the
most
to
be
dreaded
.
"
I
do
not
say
that
,
"
she
replied
,
"
nor
have
I
ever
thought
it
.
I
have
myself
and
myself
only
to
blame
.
"
Here
he
altogether
misunderstood
her
,
believing
her
to
mean
that
the
fault
for
which
she
blamed
herself
had
been
committed
in
separating
herself
from
him
on
that
former
occasion
.
"
Alice
,
dear
,
let
bygones
be
bygones
.
"
"
Bygones
will
not
be
bygones
.
It
may
be
well
for
people
to
say
so
,
but
it
is
never
true
.
One
might
as
well
say
so
to
one
's
body
as
to
one
's
heart
.
But
the
hairs
will
grow
grey
,
and
the
heart
will
grow
cold
.
"
"
I
do
not
see
that
one
follows
upon
the
other
,
"
said
George
.
"
My
hair
is
growing
very
grey
;
"
—
and
to
show
that
it
was
so
,
he
lifted
the
dark
lock
from
the
side
of
his
forehead
,
and
displayed
the
incipient
grizzling
of
the
hair
from
behind
.
"
If
grey
hairs
make
an
old
man
,
Alice
,
you
will
marry
an
old
husband
;
but
even
you
shall
not
be
allowed
to
say
that
my
heart
is
old
.
"
That
word
"
husband
,
"
which
her
cousin
had
twice
used
,
was
painful
to
Alice
's
ear
.
She
shrunk
from
it
with
palpable
bodily
suffering
.
Marry
an
old
husband
!
His
age
was
nothing
to
the
purpose
,
though
he
had
been
as
old
as
Enoch
.
But
she
was
again
obliged
to
answer
him
.
"
I
spoke
of
my
own
heart
,
"
said
she
:
"
I
sometimes
feel
that
it
has
grown
very
old
.
"
"
Alice
,
that
is
hardly
cheering
to
me
.
"
"
You
have
come
to
me
too
quickly
,
George
,
and
do
not
reflect
how
much
there
is
that
I
must
remember
.
You
have
said
that
bygones
should
be
bygones
.
Let
them
be
so
,
at
any
rate
as
far
as
words
are
concerned
.
Give
me
a
few
months
in
which
I
may
learn
,
—
not
to
forget
them
,
for
that
will
be
impossible
,
—
but
to
abstain
from
speaking
of
them
.
"
There
was
something
in
her
look
as
she
spoke
,
and
in
the
tone
of
her
voice
that
was
very
sad
.
It
struck
him
forcibly
,
but
it
struck
him
with
anger
rather
than
with
sadness
.
Doubtless
her
money
had
been
his
chief
object
when
he
offered
to
renew
his
engagement
with
her
.
Doubtless
he
would
have
made
no
such
offer
had
she
been
penniless
,
or
even
had
his
own
need
been
less
pressing
.
But
,
nevertheless
,
he
desired
something
more
than
money
.
The
triumph
of
being
preferred
to
John
Grey
,
—
of
having
John
Grey
sent
altogether
adrift
,
in
order
that
his
old
love
might
be
recovered
,
would
have
been
too
costly
a
luxury
for
him
to
seek
,
had
he
not
in
seeking
it
been
able
to
combine
prudence
with
the
luxury
.
But
though
his
prudence
had
been
undoubted
,
he
desired
the
luxury
also
.
It
was
on
a
calculation
of
the
combined
advantage
that
he
had
made
his
second
offer
to
his
cousin
.
As
he
would
by
no
means
have
consented
to
proceed
with
the
arrangement
without
the
benefit
of
his
cousin
's
money
,
so
also
did
he
feel
unwilling
to
dispense
with
some
expression
of
her
love
for
him
,
which
would
be
to
him
triumphant
.
Hitherto
in
their
present
interview
there
had
certainly
been
no
expression
of
her
love
.
"
Alice
,
"
he
said
,
"
your
greeting
to
me
is
hardly
all
that
I
had
hoped
.
"
"
Is
it
not
?
"
said
she
.
"
Indeed
,
George
,
I
am
sorry
that
you
should
be
disappointed
;
but
what
can
I
say
?
You
would
not
have
me
affect
a
lightness
of
spirit
which
I
do
not
feel
?
"
"
If
you
wish
,
"
said
he
,
very
slowly
,
—
"
if
you
wish
to
retract
your
letter
to
me
,
you
now
have
my
leave
to
do
so
.
"
What
an
opportunity
was
this
of
escape
!
But
she
had
not
the
courage
to
accept
it
.
What
girl
,
under
such
circumstances
,
would
have
had
such
courage
?
How
often
are
offers
made
to
us
which
we
would
almost
give
our
eyes
to
accept
,
but
dare
not
accept
because
we
fear
the
countenance
of
the
offerer
?
"
I
do
not
wish
to
retract
my
letter
,
"
said
she
,
speaking
as
slowly
as
he
had
spoken
;
"
but
I
wish
to
be
left
awhile
,
that
I
may
recover
my
strength
of
mind
.
Have
you
not
heard
doctors
say
,
that
muscles
which
have
been
strained
,
should
be
allowed
rest
,
or
they
will
never
entirely
renew
their
tension
?
It
is
so
with
me
now
;
if
I
could
be
quiet
for
a
few
months
,
I
think
I
could
learn
to
face
the
future
with
a
better
courage
.
"
"
And
is
that
all
you
can
say
to
me
,
Alice
?
"
"
What
would
you
have
me
say
?
"
"
I
would
fain
hear
one
word
of
love
from
you
;
is
that
unreasonable
?
I
would
wish
to
know
from
your
own
lips
that
you
have
satisfaction
in
the
renewed
prospect
of
our
union
;
is
that
too
ambitious
?
It
might
have
been
that
I
was
over-bold
in
pressing
my
suit
upon
you
again
;
but
as
you
accepted
it
,
have
I
not
a
right
to
expect
that
you
should
show
me
that
you
have
been
happy
in
accepting
it
?
"
But
she
had
not
been
happy
in
accepting
it
.
She
was
not
happy
now
that
she
had
accepted
it
.
She
could
not
show
to
him
any
sign
of
such
joy
as
that
which
he
desired
to
see
.
And
now
,
at
this
moment
,
she
feared
with
an
excessive
fear
that
there
would
come
some
demand
for
an
outward
demonstration
of
love
,
such
as
he
in
his
position
might
have
a
right
to
make
.
She
seemed
to
be
aware
that
this
might
be
prevented
only
by
such
demeanour
on
her
part
as
that
which
she
had
practised
,
and
she
could
not
,
therefore
,
be
stirred
to
the
expression
of
any
word
of
affection
.
She
listened
to
his
appeal
,
and
when
it
was
finished
she
made
no
reply
.
If
he
chose
to
take
her
in
dudgeon
,
he
must
do
so
.
She
would
make
for
him
any
sacrifice
that
was
possible
to
her
,
but
this
sacrifice
was
not
possible
.
"
And
you
have
not
a
word
to
say
to
me
?
"
he
asked
.
She
looked
up
at
him
,
and
saw
that
the
cicature
on
his
face
was
becoming
ominous
;
his
eyes
were
bent
upon
her
with
all
their
forbidding
brilliance
,
and
he
was
assuming
that
look
of
angry
audacity
which
was
so
peculiar
to
him
,
and
which
had
so
often
cowed
those
with
whom
he
was
brought
in
contact
.
"
No
other
word
,
at
present
,
George
;
I
have
told
you
that
I
am
not
at
ease
.
Why
do
you
press
me
now
?
"
He
had
her
letter
to
him
in
the
breast-pocket
of
his
coat
,
and
his
hand
was
on
it
,
that
he
might
fling
it
back
to
her
,
and
tell
her
that
he
would
not
hold
her
to
be
his
promised
wife
under
such
circumstances
as
these
.
The
anger
which
would
have
induced
him
to
do
so
was
the
better
part
of
his
nature
.
Three
or
four
years
since
,
this
better
part
would
have
prevailed
,
and
he
would
have
given
way
to
his
rage
.
But
now
,
as
his
fingers
played
upon
the
paper
,
he
remembered
that
her
money
was
absolutely
essential
to
him
,
—
that
some
of
it
was
needed
by
him
almost
instantly
,
—
that
on
this
very
morning
he
was
bound
to
go
where
money
would
be
demanded
from
him
,
and
that
his
hopes
with
regard
to
Chelsea
could
not
be
maintained
unless
he
was
able
to
make
some
substantial
promise
of
providing
funds
.
His
sister
Kate
's
fortune
was
just
two
thousand
pounds
.
That
,
and
no
more
,
was
now
the
capital
at
his
command
,
if
he
should
abandon
this
other
source
of
aid
.
Even
that
must
go
,
if
all
other
sources
should
fail
him
;
but
he
would
fain
have
that
untouched
,
if
it
were
possible
.
Oh
,
that
that
old
man
in
Westmoreland
would
die
and
be
gathered
to
his
fathers
,
now
that
he
was
full
of
years
and
ripe
for
the
sickle
!
But
there
was
no
sign
of
death
about
the
old
man
.
So
his
fingers
released
their
hold
on
the
letter
,
and
he
stood
looking
at
her
in
his
anger
.
"
You
wish
me
then
to
go
from
you
?
"
he
said
.
"
Do
not
be
angry
with
me
,
George
!
"
"
Angry
!
I
have
no
right
to
be
angry
.
But
,
by
heaven
,
I
am
wrong
there
.
I
have
the
right
,
and
I
am
angry
.
I
think
you
owed
it
me
to
give
me
some
warmer
welcome
.
Is
it
to
be
thus
with
us
always
for
the
next
accursed
year
?
"
"
Oh
,
George
!
"
"
To
me
it
will
be
accursed
.
But
is
it
to
be
thus
between
us
always
?
Alice
,
I
have
loved
you
above
all
women
.
I
may
say
that
I
have
never
loved
any
woman
but
you
;
and
yet
I
am
sometimes
driven
to
doubt
whether
you
have
a
heart
in
you
capable
of
love
.
After
all
that
has
passed
,
all
your
old
protestations
,
all
my
repentance
,
and
your
proffer
of
forgiveness
,
you
should
have
received
me
with
open
arms
.
I
suppose
I
may
go
now
,
and
feel
that
I
have
been
kicked
out
of
your
house
like
a
dog
.
"
"
If
you
speak
to
me
like
that
,
and
look
at
me
like
that
,
how
can
I
answer
you
?
"
"
I
want
no
answer
.
I
wanted
you
to
put
your
hand
in
mine
,
to
kiss
me
,
and
to
tell
me
that
you
are
once
more
my
own
.
Alice
,
think
better
of
it
;
kiss
me
,
and
let
me
feel
my
arm
once
more
round
your
waist
.
"
She
shuddered
as
she
sat
,
still
silent
,
on
her
seat
,
and
he
saw
that
she
shuddered
.
With
all
his
desire
for
her
money
,
—
his
instant
need
of
it
,
—
this
was
too
much
for
him
;
and
he
turned
upon
his
heel
,
and
left
the
room
without
another
word
.
She
heard
his
quick
step
as
he
hurried
down
the
stairs
,
but
she
did
not
rise
to
arrest
him
.
She
heard
the
door
slam
as
he
left
the
house
,
but
still
she
did
not
move
from
her
seat
.
Her
immediate
desire
had
been
that
he
should
go
,
—
and
now
he
was
gone
.
There
was
in
that
a
relief
which
almost
comforted
her
.
And
this
was
the
man
from
whom
,
within
the
last
few
days
,
she
had
accepted
an
offer
of
marriage
.
George
,
when
he
left
the
house
,
walked
hurriedly
into
Cavendish
Square
,
and
down
along
the
east
side
,
till
he
made
his
way
out
along
Princes
Street
,
into
the
Circus
in
Oxford
Street
.
Close
to
him
there
,
in
Great
Marlborough
Street
,
was
the
house
of
his
parliamentary
attorney
,
Mr.
Scruby
,
on
whom
he
was
bound
to
call
on
that
morning
.
As
he
had
walked
away
from
Queen
Anne
Street
,
he
had
thought
of
nothing
but
that
too
visible
shudder
which
his
cousin
Alice
had
been
unable
to
repress
.
He
had
been
feeding
on
his
anger
,
and
indulging
it
,
telling
himself
at
one
moment
that
he
would
let
her
and
her
money
go
from
him
whither
they
list
,
—
and
making
inward
threats
in
the
next
that
the
time
should
come
in
which
he
would
punish
her
for
this
ill-usage
.
But
there
was
the
necessity
of
resolving
what
he
would
say
to
Mr.
Scruby
.
To
Mr.
Scruby
was
still
due
some
trifle
on
the
cost
of
the
last
election
;
but
even
if
this
were
paid
,
Mr.
Scruby
would
make
no
heavy
advance
towards
the
expense
of
the
next
election
.
Whoever
might
come
out
at
the
end
of
such
affairs
without
a
satisfactory
settlement
of
his
little
bill
,
as
had
for
a
while
been
the
case
with
Mr.
Grimes
,
from
the
"
Handsome
Man
,
"
—
and
as
,
indeed
,
still
was
the
case
with
him
,
as
that
note
of
hand
at
three
months
'
date
was
not
yet
paid
,
—
Mr
.
Scruby
seldom
allowed
himself
to
suffer
.
It
was
true
that
the
election
would
not
take
place
till
the
summer
;
but
there
were
preliminary
expenses
which
needed
ready
money
.
Metropolitan
voters
,
as
Mr.
Scruby
often
declared
,
required
to
be
kept
in
good
humour
,
—
so
that
Mr.
Scruby
wanted
the
present
payment
of
some
five
hundred
pounds
,
and
a
well-grounded
assurance
that
he
would
be
put
in
full
funds
by
the
beginning
of
next
June
.
Even
Mr.
Scruby
might
not
be
true
as
perfect
steel
,
if
he
thought
that
his
candidate
at
the
last
moment
would
not
come
forth
properly
prepared
.
Other
candidates
,
with
money
in
their
pockets
,
might
find
their
way
into
Mr.
Scruby
's
offices
.
As
George
Vavasor
crossed
Regent
Street
,
he
gulped
down
his
anger
,
and
applied
his
mind
to
business
.
Should
he
prepare
himself
to
give
orders
that
Kate
's
little
property
should
be
sold
out
,
or
would
he
resolve
to
use
his
cousin
's
money
?
That
his
cousin
's
money
would
still
be
at
his
disposal
,
in
spite
of
the
stormy
mood
in
which
he
had
retreated
from
her
presence
,
he
felt
sure
;
but
the
asking
for
it
on
his
part
would
be
unpleasant
.
That
duty
he
must
entrust
to
Kate
.
But
as
he
reached
Mr.
Scruby
's
door
,
he
had
decided
that
for
such
purposes
as
those
now
in
hand
,
it
was
preferable
that
he
should
use
his
wife
's
fortune
.
It
was
thus
that
in
his
own
mind
he
worded
the
phrase
,
and
made
for
himself
an
excuse
.
Yes
;
—
he
would
use
his
wife
's
fortune
,
and
explain
to
Mr.
Scruby
that
he
would
be
justified
in
doing
so
by
the
fact
that
his
own
heritage
would
be
settled
on
her
at
her
marriage
.
I
do
not
suppose
that
he
altogether
liked
it
.
He
was
not
,
at
any
rate
as
yet
,
an
altogether
heartless
swindler
.
He
could
not
take
his
cousin
's
money
without
meaning
,
—
without
thinking
that
he
meant
,
to
repay
her
in
full
all
that
he
took
.
Her
behaviour
to
him
this
very
morning
had
no
doubt
made
the
affair
more
difficult
to
his
mind
,
and
more
unpleasant
than
it
would
have
been
had
she
smiled
on
him
;
but
even
as
it
was
,
he
managed
to
assure
himself
that
he
was
doing
her
no
wrong
,
and
with
this
self-assurance
he
entered
Mr.
Scruby
's
office
.
The
clerks
in
the
outer
office
were
very
civil
to
him
,
and
undertook
to
promise
him
that
he
should
not
be
kept
waiting
an
instant
.
There
were
four
gentlemen
in
the
little
parlour
,
they
said
,
waiting
to
see
Mr.
Scruby
,
but
there
they
should
remain
till
Mr.
Vavasor
's
interview
was
over
.
One
gentleman
,
as
it
seemed
,
was
even
turned
out
to
make
way
for
him
;
for
as
George
was
ushered
into
the
lawyer
's
room
,
a
little
man
,
looking
very
meek
,
was
hurried
away
from
it
.
"
You
can
wait
,
Smithers
,
"
said
Mr.
Scruby
,
speaking
from
within
.
"
I
sha
n't
be
very
long
.
"
Vavasor
apologized
to
his
agent
for
the
injury
he
was
doing
Smithers
;
but
Mr.
Scruby
explained
that
he
was
only
a
poor
devil
of
a
printer
,
looking
for
payment
of
his
little
account
.
He
had
printed
and
posted
30
,
000
placards
for
one
of
the
late
Marylebone
candidates
,
and
found
some
difficulty
in
getting
his
money
.
"
You
see
,
when
they
're
in
a
small
way
of
business
,
it
ruins
them
,
"
said
Scruby
.
"
Now
that
poor
devil
,
—
he
has
n't
had
a
shilling
of
his
money
yet
,
and
the
greater
part
has
been
paid
out
of
his
pocket
to
the
posters
.
It
is
hard
.
"
It
comforted
Vavasor
when
he
thus
heard
that
there
were
others
who
were
more
backward
in
their
payments
,
even
than
himself
,
and
made
him
reflect
that
a
longer
credit
than
had
yet
been
achieved
by
him
,
might
perhaps
be
within
his
reach
.
"
It
is
astonishing
how
much
a
man
may
get
done
for
him
,
"
said
he
,
"
without
paying
anything
for
years
.
"
"
Yes
;
that
's
true
.
So
he
may
,
if
he
knows
how
to
go
about
it
.
But
when
he
does
pay
,
Mr.
Vavasor
,
he
does
it
through
the
nose
;
—
cent
.
per
cent
.
,
and
worse
,
for
all
his
former
shortcomings
.
"
"
How
many
there
are
who
never
pay
at
all
,
"
said
George
.
"
Yes
,
Mr.
Vavasor
;
—
that
's
true
,
too
.
But
see
what
a
life
they
lead
.
It
is
n't
a
pleasant
thing
to
be
afraid
of
coming
into
your
agent
's
office
;
not
what
you
would
like
,
Mr.
Vavasor
;
—
not
if
I
know
you
.
"
"
I
never
was
afraid
of
meeting
anyone
yet
,
"
said
Vavasor
;
"
but
I
do
n't
know
what
I
may
come
to
.
"
"
Nor
never
will
,
I
'll
go
bail
.
But
,
Lord
love
you
,
I
could
tell
you
such
tales
!
I
've
had
Members
of
Parliament
,
past
,
present
,
and
future
,
almost
down
on
their
knees
to
me
in
this
little
room
.
It
's
about
a
month
or
six
weeks
before
the
elections
come
on
when
they
're
at
their
worst
.
There
is
so
much
you
see
,
Mr.
Vavasor
,
for
which
a
gentleman
must
pay
ready
money
.
It
is
n't
like
a
business
in
which
a
lawyer
is
supposed
to
find
the
capital
.
If
I
had
money
enough
to
pay
out
of
my
own
pocket
all
the
cost
of
all
the
metropolitan
gentlemen
for
whom
I
act
,
why
,
I
could
live
on
the
interest
without
any
trouble
,
and
go
into
Parliament
myself
like
a
man
.
"
George
Vavasor
perfectly
understood
that
Mr.
Scruby
was
explaining
to
him
,
with
what
best
attempt
at
delicacy
he
could
make
,
that
funds
for
the
expense
of
the
Chelsea
election
were
not
to
be
forthcoming
from
the
Great
Marlborough
Street
establishment
.
"
I
suppose
so
,
"
said
he
.
"
But
you
do
do
it
sometimes
.
"
"
Never
,
Mr.
Vavasor
,
"
said
Mr.
Scruby
,
very
solemnly
.
"
As
a
rule
,
never
.
I
may
advance
the
money
,
on
interest
,
of
course
,
when
I
receive
a
guarantee
from
the
candidate
's
father
,
or
from
six
or
seven
among
the
committee
,
who
must
all
be
very
substantial
,
—
very
substantial
indeed
.
But
in
a
general
way
I
do
n't
do
it
.
It
is
n't
my
place
.
"
"
I
thought
you
did
;
—
but
at
any
rate
I
do
n't
want
you
to
do
it
for
me
.
"
"
I
'm
quite
sure
you
do
n't
,
"
said
Mr.
Scruby
,
with
a
brighter
tone
of
voice
than
that
he
had
just
been
using
.
"
I
never
thought
you
did
,
Mr.
Vavasor
.
Lord
bless
you
,
Mr.
Vavasor
,
I
know
the
difference
between
gentlemen
as
soon
as
I
see
them
.
"
Then
they
went
to
business
,
and
Vavasor
became
aware
that
it
would
be
thought
convenient
that
he
should
lodge
with
Mr.
Scruby
,
to
his
own
account
,
a
sum
not
less
than
six
hundred
pounds
within
the
next
week
,
and
it
would
be
also
necessary
that
he
should
provide
for
taking
up
that
bill
,
amounting
to
ninety-two
pounds
,
which
he
had
given
to
the
landlord
of
the
"
Handsome
Man
.
"
In
short
,
it
would
be
well
that
he
should
borrow
a
thousand
pounds
from
Alice
,
and
as
he
did
not
wish
that
the
family
attorney
of
the
Vavasors
should
be
employed
to
raise
it
,
he
communicated
to
Mr.
Scruby
as
much
of
his
plans
as
was
necessary
,
—
feeling
more
hesitation
in
doing
it
than
might
have
been
expected
from
him
.
When
he
had
done
so
,
he
was
very
intent
on
explaining
also
that
the
money
taken
from
his
cousin
,
and
future
bride
,
would
be
repaid
to
her
out
of
the
property
in
Westmoreland
,
which
was
,
—
did
he
say
settled
on
himself
?
I
am
afraid
he
did
.
"
Yes
,
yes
;
—
a
family
arrangement
,
"
said
Mr.
Scruby
,
as
he
congratulated
him
on
his
proposed
marriage
.
Mr.
Scruby
did
not
care
a
straw
from
what
source
the
necessary
funds
might
be
drawn
.
CHAPTER
XXXVI
.
John
Grey
Goes
a
Second
Time
to
London
.
Early
in
that
conversation
which
Mr.
Vavasor
had
with
his
daughter
,
and
which
was
recorded
a
few
pages
back
,
he
implored
her
to
pause
a
while
before
she
informed
Mr.
Grey
of
her
engagement
with
her
cousin
.
Nothing
,
however
,
on
that
point
had
been
settled
between
them
.
Mr.
Vavasor
had
wished
her
to
say
that
she
would
not
write
till
he
should
have
assented
to
her
doing
so
.
She
had
declined
to
bind
herself
in
this
way
,
and
then
they
had
gone
off
to
other
things
;
—
to
George
Vavasor
's
character
and
the
disposition
of
her
money
.
Alice
,
however
,
had
felt
herself
bound
not
to
write
to
Mr.
Grey
quite
at
once
.
Indeed
,
when
her
cousin
left
her
she
had
no
appetite
for
writing
such
a
letter
as
hers
was
to
be
.
A
day
or
two
passed
by
her
in
this
way
,
and
nothing
more
was
said
by
her
or
her
father
.
It
was
now
the
middle
of
January
,
and
the
reader
may
remember
that
Mr.
Grey
had
promised
that
he
would
come
to
her
in
London
in
that
month
,
as
soon
as
he
should
know
that
she
had
returned
from
Westmoreland
.
She
must
at
any
rate
do
something
to
prevent
that
visit
.
Mr.
Grey
would
not
come
without
giving
her
notice
.
She
knew
enough
of
the
habits
of
the
man
to
be
sure
of
that
.
But
she
desired
that
her
letter
to
him
should
be
in
time
to
prevent
his
to
her
;
so
when
those
few
days
were
gone
,
she
sat
down
to
write
without
speaking
to
her
father
again
upon
the
subject
.
It
was
a
terrible
job
;
—
perhaps
the
most
difficult
of
all
the
difficult
tasks
which
her
adverse
fate
had
imposed
upon
her
.
She
found
when
she
did
attempt
it
,
that
she
could
have
done
it
better
if
she
had
done
it
at
the
moment
when
she
was
writing
the
other
letter
to
her
cousin
George
.
Then
Kate
had
been
near
her
,
and
she
had
been
comforted
by
Kate
's
affectionate
happiness
.
She
had
been
strengthened
at
that
moment
by
a
feeling
that
she
was
doing
the
best
in
her
power
,
if
not
for
herself
,
at
any
rate
for
others
.
All
that
comfort
and
all
that
strength
had
left
her
now
.
The
atmosphere
of
the
fells
had
buoyed
her
up
,
and
now
the
thick
air
of
London
depressed
her
.
She
sat
for
hours
with
the
pen
in
her
hand
,
and
could
not
write
the
letter
.
She
let
a
day
go
by
and
a
night
,
and
still
it
was
not
written
.
She
hardly
knew
herself
in
her
unnatural
weakness
.
As
the
mental
photographs
of
the
two
men
forced
themselves
upon
her
,
she
could
not
force
herself
to
forget
those
words
—
"
Look
here
,
upon
this
picture
—
and
on
this
.
"
How
was
it
that
she
now
knew
how
great
was
the
difference
between
the
two
men
,
how
immense
the
pre-eminence
of
him
whom
she
had
rejected
;
—
and
that
she
had
not
before
been
able
to
see
this
on
any
of
those
many
previous
occasions
on
which
she
had
compared
the
two
together
?
As
she
thought
of
her
cousin
George
's
face
when
he
left
her
room
a
few
days
since
,
and
remembered
Mr.
Grey
's
countenance
when
last
he
held
her
hand
at
Cheltenham
,
the
quiet
dignity
of
his
beauty
which
would
submit
to
show
no
consciousness
of
injury
,
she
could
not
but
tell
herself
that
when
Paradise
had
been
opened
to
her
,
she
had
declared
herself
to
be
fit
only
for
Pandemonium
.
In
that
was
her
chief
misery
;
that
now
,
—
now
when
it
was
too
late
,
—
she
could
look
at
it
aright
.
But
the
letter
must
be
written
,
and
on
the
second
day
she
declared
to
herself
that
she
would
not
rise
from
her
chair
till
it
was
done
.
The
letter
was
written
on
that
day
and
was
posted
.
I
will
now
ask
the
reader
to
go
down
with
me
to
Nethercoats
that
we
may
be
present
with
John
Grey
when
he
received
it
.
He
was
sitting
at
breakfast
in
his
study
there
,
and
opposite
to
him
,
lounging
in
an
arm-chair
,
with
a
Quarterly
in
his
hand
,
was
the
most
intimate
of
his
friends
,
Frank
Seward
,
a
fellow
of
the
college
to
which
they
had
both
belonged
.
Mr.
Seward
was
a
clergyman
,
and
the
tutor
of
his
college
,
and
a
man
who
worked
very
hard
at
Cambridge
.
In
the
days
of
his
leisure
he
spent
much
of
his
time
at
Nethercoats
,
and
he
was
the
only
man
to
whom
Grey
had
told
anything
of
his
love
for
Alice
and
of
his
disappointment
.
Even
to
Seward
he
had
not
told
the
whole
story
.
He
had
at
first
informed
his
friend
that
he
was
engaged
to
be
married
,
and
as
he
had
told
this
as
no
secret
,
—
having
even
said
that
he
hated
secrets
on
such
matters
,
—
the
engagement
had
been
mentioned
in
the
common
room
of
their
college
,
and
men
at
Cambridge
knew
that
Mr.
Grey
was
going
to
take
to
himself
a
wife
.
Then
Mr.
Seward
had
been
told
that
trouble
had
come
,
and
that
it
was
not
improbable
that
there
would
be
no
such
marriage
.
Even
when
saying
this
Mr.
Grey
told
none
of
the
particulars
,
though
he
owned
to
his
friend
that
a
heavy
blow
had
struck
him
.
His
intimacy
with
Seward
was
of
that
thorough
kind
which
is
engendered
only
out
of
such
young
and
lasting
friendship
as
had
existed
between
them
;
but
even
to
such
a
friend
as
this
Mr.
Grey
could
not
open
his
whole
heart
.
It
was
only
to
a
friend
who
should
also
be
his
wife
that
he
could
do
that
,
—
as
he
himself
thoroughly
understood
.
He
had
felt
that
such
a
friend
was
wanting
to
him
,
and
he
had
made
the
attempt
.
"
Do
n't
speak
of
this
as
yet
,
"
he
had
said
to
Mr.
Seward
.
"
Of
course
when
the
matter
is
settled
,
those
few
people
who
know
me
must
know
it
.
But
perhaps
there
may
be
a
doubt
as
yet
,
and
as
long
as
there
is
a
doubt
,
it
is
better
that
it
should
not
be
discussed
.
"
He
had
said
no
more
than
this
,
—
had
imputed
no
blame
to
Alice
,
—
had
told
none
of
the
circumstances
;
but
Seward
had
known
that
the
girl
had
jilted
his
friend
,
and
had
made
up
his
mind
that
she
must
be
heartless
and
false
.
He
had
known
also
that
his
friend
would
never
look
for
any
other
such
companion
for
his
home
.
Letters
were
brought
to
each
of
them
on
this
morning
,
and
Seward
's
attention
was
of
course
occupied
by
those
which
he
received
.
Grey
,
as
soon
as
the
envelopes
had
touched
his
hand
,
became
aware
that
one
of
them
was
from
Alice
,
and
this
he
at
once
opened
.
He
did
it
very
calmly
,
but
without
any
of
that
bravado
of
indifference
with
which
George
Vavasor
had
received
Alice
's
letter
from
Westmoreland
.
"
It
is
right
that
I
should
tell
you
at
once
,
"
said
Alice
,
rushing
into
the
middle
of
her
subject
without
even
the
formality
of
the
customary
address
—
"
It
is
right
that
I
should
tell
you
at
once
that
—
.
"
Oh
,
the
difficulty
which
she
had
encountered
when
her
words
had
carried
her
as
far
as
this
!
—
"
that
my
cousin
,
George
Vavasor
,
has
repeated
to
me
his
offer
of
marriage
,
and
that
I
have
accepted
it
.
I
tell
you
,
chiefly
in
order
that
I
may
save
you
from
the
trouble
which
you
purposed
to
take
when
I
last
saw
you
at
Cheltenham
.
I
will
not
tell
you
any
of
the
circumstances
of
this
engagement
,
because
I
have
no
right
to
presume
that
you
will
care
to
hear
them
.
I
hardly
dare
to
ask
you
to
believe
of
me
that
in
all
that
I
have
done
,
I
have
endeavoured
to
act
with
truth
and
honesty
.
That
I
have
been
very
ignorant
,
foolish
,
—
what
you
will
that
is
bad
,
I
know
well
;
otherwise
there
could
not
have
been
so
much
in
the
last
few
years
of
my
life
on
which
I
am
utterly
ashamed
to
look
back
.
For
the
injury
that
I
have
done
you
,
I
can
only
express
deep
contrition
.
I
do
not
dare
to
ask
you
to
forgive
me
.
—
ALICE
VAVASOR
.
"
She
had
tormented
herself
in
writing
this
,
—
had
so
nearly
driven
herself
distracted
with
attempts
which
she
had
destroyed
,
that
she
would
not
even
read
once
to
herself
these
last
words
.
"
He
'll
know
it
,
and
that
is
all
that
is
necessary
,
"
she
said
to
herself
as
she
sent
the
letter
away
from
her
.
Mr.
Grey
read
it
twice
over
,
leaving
the
other
letters
unnoticed
on
the
table
by
his
tea-cup
.
He
read
it
twice
over
,
and
the
work
of
reading
it
was
one
to
him
of
intense
agony
.
Hitherto
he
had
fed
himself
with
hope
.
That
Alice
should
have
been
brought
to
think
of
her
engagement
with
him
in
a
spirit
of
doubt
and
with
a
mind
so
troubled
,
that
she
had
been
inclined
to
attempt
an
escape
from
it
,
had
been
very
grievous
to
him
;
but
it
had
been
in
his
mind
a
fantasy
,
a
morbid
fear
of
himself
,
which
might
be
cured
by
time
.
He
,
at
any
rate
,
would
give
all
his
energies
towards
achieving
such
a
cure
.
There
had
been
one
thing
,
however
,
which
he
most
feared
;
—
which
he
had
chiefly
feared
,
though
he
had
forbidden
himself
to
think
that
it
could
be
probable
,
and
this
thing
had
now
happened
.
He
had
ever
disliked
and
feared
George
Vavasor
;
—
not
from
any
effect
which
the
man
had
upon
himself
,
for
as
we
know
his
acquaintance
with
Vavasor
was
of
the
slightest
;
—
but
he
had
feared
and
disliked
his
influence
upon
Alice
.
He
had
also
feared
the
influence
of
her
cousin
Kate
.
To
have
cautioned
Alice
against
her
cousins
would
have
been
to
him
impossible
.
It
was
not
his
nature
to
express
suspicion
to
one
he
loved
.
Is
the
tone
of
that
letter
remembered
in
which
he
had
answered
Alice
when
she
informed
him
that
her
cousin
George
was
to
go
with
Kate
and
her
to
Switzerland
?
He
had
written
,
with
a
pleasant
joke
,
words
which
Alice
had
been
able
to
read
with
some
little
feeling
of
triumph
to
her
two
friends
.
He
had
not
so
written
because
he
liked
what
he
knew
of
the
man
.
He
disliked
all
that
he
knew
of
him
.
But
it
had
not
been
possible
for
him
to
show
that
he
distrusted
the
prudence
of
her
,
whom
,
as
his
future
wife
,
he
was
prepared
to
trust
in
all
things
.
I
have
said
that
he
read
Alice
's
letter
with
an
agony
of
sorrow
;
as
he
sat
with
it
in
his
hand
he
suffered
as
,
probably
,
he
had
never
suffered
before
.
But
there
was
nothing
in
his
countenance
to
show
that
he
was
in
pain
.
Seward
had
received
some
long
epistle
,
crossed
from
end
to
end
,
—
indicative
,
I
should
say
,
of
a
not
far
distant
termination
to
that
college
tutorship
,
—
and
was
reading
it
with
placid
contentment
.
It
did
not
occur
to
him
to
look
across
at
Grey
,
but
had
he
done
so
,
I
doubt
whether
he
would
have
seen
anything
to
attract
his
attention
.
But
Grey
,
though
he
was
wounded
,
would
not
allow
himself
to
be
dismayed
.
There
was
less
hope
now
than
before
,
but
there
might
still
be
hope
;
—
hope
for
her
,
even
though
there
might
be
none
for
him
.
Tidings
had
reached
his
ears
also
as
to
George
Vavasor
,
which
had
taught
him
to
believe
that
the
man
was
needy
,
reckless
,
and
on
the
brink
of
ruin
.
Such
a
marriage
to
Alice
Vavasor
would
be
altogether
ruinous
.
Whatever
might
be
his
own
ultimate
fate
he
would
still
seek
to
save
her
from
that
.
Her
cousin
,
doubtless
,
wanted
her
money
.
Might
it
not
be
possible
that
he
would
be
satisfied
with
her
money
,
and
that
thus
the
woman
might
be
saved
?
"
Seward
,
"
he
said
at
last
,
addressing
his
friend
,
who
had
not
yet
come
to
the
end
of
the
last
crossed
page
.
"
Is
there
anything
wrong
?
"
said
Seward
.
"
Well
;
—
yes
;
there
is
something
a
little
wrong
.
I
fear
I
must
leave
you
,
and
go
up
to
town
to-day
.
"
"
Nobody
ill
,
I
hope
?
"
"
No
;
—
nobody
is
ill.
But
I
must
go
up
to
London
.
Mrs.
Bole
will
take
care
of
you
,
and
you
must
not
be
angry
with
me
for
leaving
you
.
"
Seward
assured
him
that
he
would
not
be
in
the
least
angry
,
and
that
he
was
thoroughly
conversant
with
the
capabilities
and
good
intentions
of
Mrs.
Bole
the
housekeeper
;
but
added
,
that
as
he
was
so
near
his
own
college
,
he
would
of
course
go
back
to
Cambridge
.
He
longed
to
say
some
word
as
to
the
purpose
of
Grey
's
threatened
journey
;
to
make
some
inquiry
as
to
this
new
trouble
;
but
he
knew
that
Grey
was
a
man
who
did
not
well
bear
close
inquiries
,
and
he
was
silent
.
"
Why
not
stay
here
?
"
said
Grey
,
after
a
minute
's
pause
.
"
I
wish
you
would
,
old
fellow
;
I
do
,
indeed
.
"
There
was
a
tone
of
special
affection
in
his
voice
which
struck
Seward
at
once
.
"
If
I
can
be
of
the
slightest
service
or
comfort
to
you
,
I
will
of
course
.
"
Grey
again
sat
silent
for
a
little
while
.
"
I
wish
you
would
;
I
do
,
indeed
.
"
"
Then
I
will
.
"
And
again
there
was
a
pause
.
"
I
have
got
a
letter
here
from
—
Miss
Vavasor
,
"
said
Grey
.
"
May
I
hope
that
—
"
"
No
;
—
it
does
not
bring
good
news
to
me
.
I
do
not
know
that
I
can
tell
it
you
all
.
I
would
if
I
could
,
but
the
whole
story
is
one
not
to
be
told
in
a
hurry
.
I
should
leave
false
impressions
.
There
are
things
which
a
man
cannot
tell
.
"
"
Indeed
there
are
,
"
said
Seward
.
"
I
wish
with
all
my
heart
that
you
knew
it
all
as
I
know
it
;
but
that
is
impossible
.
There
are
things
which
happen
in
a
day
which
it
would
take
a
lifetime
to
explain
.
"
Then
there
was
another
pause
.
"
I
have
heard
bad
news
this
morning
,
and
I
must
go
up
to
London
at
once
.
I
shall
go
into
Ely
so
as
to
be
there
by
twelve
;
and
if
you
will
,
you
shall
drive
me
over
.
I
may
be
back
in
a
day
;
certainly
in
less
than
a
week
;
but
it
will
be
a
comfort
to
me
to
know
that
I
shall
find
you
here
.
"
The
matter
was
so
arranged
,
and
at
eleven
they
started
.
During
the
first
two
miles
not
a
word
was
spoken
between
them
.
"
Seward
,
"
Grey
said
at
last
,
"
if
I
fail
in
what
I
am
going
to
attempt
,
it
is
probable
that
you
will
never
hear
Alice
Vavasor
's
name
mentioned
by
me
again
;
but
I
want
you
always
to
bear
this
in
mind
;
—
that
at
no
moment
has
my
opinion
of
her
ever
been
changed
,
nor
must
you
in
such
case
imagine
from
my
silence
that
it
has
changed
.
Do
you
understand
me
?
"
"
I
think
I
do
.
"
"
To
my
thinking
she
is
the
finest
of
God
's
creatures
that
I
have
known
.
It
may
be
that
in
her
future
life
she
will
be
severed
from
me
altogether
;
but
I
shall
not
,
therefore
,
think
the
less
well
of
her
;
and
I
wish
that
you
,
as
my
friend
,
should
know
that
I
so
esteem
her
,
even
though
her
name
should
never
be
mentioned
between
us
.
"
Seward
,
in
some
few
words
,
assured
him
that
it
should
be
so
,
and
then
they
finished
their
journey
in
silence
.
From
the
station
at
Ely
,
Grey
sent
a
message
by
the
wires
up
to
John
Vavasor
,
saying
that
he
would
call
on
him
that
afternoon
at
his
office
in
Chancery
Lane
.
The
chances
were
always
much
against
finding
Mr.
Vavasor
at
his
office
;
but
on
this
occasion
the
telegram
did
reach
him
there
,
and
he
remained
till
the
unaccustomed
hour
of
half
past
four
to
meet
the
man
who
was
to
have
been
his
son-in-law
.
"
Have
you
heard
from
her
?
"
he
asked
as
soon
as
Grey
entered
the
dingy
little
room
,
not
in
Chancery
Lane
,
but
in
its
neighbourhood
,
which
was
allocated
to
him
for
his
signing
purposes
.
"
Yes
,
"
—
said
Grey
;
"
she
has
written
to
me
.
"
"
And
told
you
about
her
cousin
George
.
I
tried
to
hinder
her
from
writing
,
but
she
is
very
wilful
.
"
"
Why
should
you
have
hindered
her
?
If
the
thing
was
to
be
told
,
it
is
better
that
it
should
be
done
at
once
.
"
"
But
I
hoped
that
there
might
be
an
escape
.
I
do
n't
know
what
you
think
of
all
this
,
Grey
,
but
to
me
it
is
the
bitterest
misfortune
that
I
have
known
.
And
I
've
had
some
bitter
things
,
too
,
"
he
added
,
—
thinking
of
that
period
of
his
life
,
when
the
work
of
which
he
was
ashamed
was
first
ordained
as
his
future
task
.
"
What
is
the
escape
that
you
hoped
?
"
asked
Grey
.
"
I
hardly
know
.
The
whole
thing
seems
to
me
to
be
so
mad
,
that
I
partly
trusted
that
she
would
see
the
madness
of
it
.
I
am
not
sure
whether
you
know
anything
of
my
nephew
George
?
"
asked
Mr.
Vavasor
.
"
Very
little
,
"
said
Grey
.
"
I
believe
him
to
be
utterly
an
adventurer
,
—
a
man
without
means
and
without
principle
,
—
upon
the
whole
about
as
bad
a
man
as
you
may
meet
.
I
give
you
my
word
,
Grey
,
that
I
do
n't
think
I
know
a
worse
man
.
He
's
going
to
marry
her
for
her
money
;
then
he
will
beggar
her
,
after
that
he
'll
ill-treat
her
,
and
yet
what
can
I
do
?
"
"
Prevent
the
marriage
.
"
"
But
how
,
my
dear
fellow
?
Prevent
it
!
It
's
all
very
well
to
say
that
,
and
it
's
the
very
thing
I
want
to
do
.
But
how
am
I
to
prevent
it
?
She
's
as
much
her
own
master
as
you
are
yours
.
She
can
give
him
every
shilling
of
her
fortune
to-morrow
.
How
am
I
to
prevent
her
from
marrying
him
?
"
"
Let
her
give
him
every
shilling
of
her
fortune
to-morrow
,
"
said
Grey
.
"
And
what
is
she
to
do
then
?
"
asked
Mr.
Vavasor
.
"
Then
—
then
,
—
then
,
—
then
let
her
come
to
me
,
"
said
John
Grey
;
and
as
he
spoke
there
was
the
fragment
of
a
tear
in
his
eye
,
and
the
hint
of
quiver
in
his
voice
.
Even
the
worldly
,
worn-out
,
unsympathetic
nature
of
John
Vavasor
was
struck
,
and
,
as
it
were
,
warmed
by
this
.
"
God
bless
you
;
God
bless
you
,
my
dear
fellow
.
I
heartily
wish
for
her
sake
that
I
could
look
forward
to
any
such
an
end
to
this
affair
.
"
"
And
why
not
look
forward
to
it
?
You
say
that
he
merely
wants
her
money
.
As
he
wants
it
let
him
have
it
!
"
"
But
Grey
,
you
do
not
know
Alice
;
you
do
not
understand
my
girl
.
When
she
had
lost
her
fortune
nothing
would
induce
her
to
become
your
wife
.
"
"
Leave
that
to
follow
as
it
may
,
"
said
John
Grey
.
"
Our
first
object
must
be
to
sever
her
from
a
man
,
who
is
,
as
you
say
,
himself
on
the
verge
of
ruin
;
and
who
would
certainly
make
her
wretched
.
I
am
here
now
,
not
because
I
wish
her
to
be
my
own
wife
,
but
because
I
wish
that
she
should
not
become
the
wife
of
such
a
one
as
your
nephew
.
If
I
were
you
I
would
let
him
have
her
money
.
"
"
If
you
were
I
,
you
would
have
nothing
more
to
do
with
it
than
the
man
that
is
as
yet
unborn
.
I
know
that
she
will
give
him
her
money
because
she
has
said
so
;
but
I
have
no
power
as
to
her
giving
it
or
as
to
her
withholding
it
.
That
's
the
hardship
of
my
position
;
—
but
it
is
of
no
use
to
think
of
that
now
.
"
John
Grey
certainly
did
not
think
about
it
.
He
knew
well
that
Alice
was
independent
,
and
that
she
was
not
inclined
to
give
up
that
independence
to
anyone
.
He
had
not
expected
that
her
father
would
be
able
to
do
much
towards
hindering
his
daughter
from
becoming
the
wife
of
George
Vavasor
,
but
he
had
wished
that
he
himself
and
her
father
should
be
in
accord
in
their
views
,
and
he
found
that
this
was
so
.
When
he
left
Mr.
Vavasor
's
room
nothing
had
been
said
about
the
period
of
the
marriage
.
Grey
thought
it
improbable
that
Alice
would
find
herself
able
to
give
herself
in
marriage
to
her
cousin
immediately
,
—
so
soon
after
her
breach
with
him
;
but
as
to
this
he
had
no
assurance
,
and
he
determined
to
have
the
facts
from
her
own
lips
,
if
she
would
see
him
.
So
he
wrote
to
her
,
naming
a
day
on
which
he
would
call
upon
her
early
in
the
morning
;
and
having
received
from
her
no
prohibition
,
he
was
in
Queen
Anne
Street
at
the
hour
appointed
.
He
had
conceived
a
scheme
which
he
had
not
made
known
to
Mr.
Vavasor
,
and
as
to
the
practicability
of
which
he
had
much
doubt
;
but
which
,
nevertheless
,
he
was
resolved
to
try
if
he
should
find
the
attempt
possible
.
He
himself
would
buy
off
George
Vavasor
.
He
had
ever
been
a
prudent
man
,
and
he
had
money
at
command
.
If
Vavasor
was
such
a
man
as
they
,
who
knew
him
best
,
represented
him
,
such
a
purchase
might
be
possible
.
But
then
,
before
this
was
attempted
,
he
must
be
quite
sure
that
he
knew
his
man
,
and
he
must
satisfy
himself
also
that
in
doing
so
he
would
not
,
in
truth
,
add
to
Alice
's
misery
.
He
could
hardly
bring
himself
to
think
it
possible
that
she
did
,
in
truth
,
love
her
cousin
with
passionate
love
.
It
seemed
to
him
,
as
he
remembered
what
Alice
had
been
to
himself
,
that
this
must
be
impossible
.
But
if
it
were
so
,
that
of
course
must
put
an
end
to
his
interference
.
He
thought
that
if
he
saw
her
he
might
learn
all
this
,
and
therefore
he
went
to
Queen
Anne
Street
.
"
Of
course
he
must
come
if
he
will
,
"
she
said
to
herself
when
she
received
his
note
.
"
It
can
make
no
matter
.
He
will
say
nothing
half
so
hard
to
me
as
what
I
say
to
myself
all
day
long
.
"
But
when
the
morning
came
,
and
the
hour
came
,
and
the
knock
at
the
door
for
which
her
ears
were
on
the
alert
,
her
heart
misgave
her
,
and
she
felt
that
the
present
moment
of
her
punishment
,
though
not
the
heaviest
,
would
still
be
hard
to
bear
.
He
came
slowly
up-stairs
,
—
his
step
was
ever
slow
,
—
and
gently
opened
the
door
for
himself
.
Then
,
before
he
even
looked
at
her
,
he
closed
it
again
.
I
do
not
know
how
to
explain
that
it
was
so
;
but
it
was
this
perfect
command
of
himself
at
all
seasons
which
had
in
part
made
Alice
afraid
of
him
,
and
drove
her
to
believe
that
they
were
not
fitted
for
each
other
.
She
,
when
he
thus
turned
for
a
moment
from
her
,
and
then
walked
slowly
towards
her
,
stood
with
both
her
hands
leaning
on
the
