Julia was right in fancying that she saw Lady Dunborough’s face at one of the windows in the south-east corner of the house.  Those windows commanded both the Marlborough High Street and the Salisbury road, welcomed alike the London and the Salisbury coach, overlooked the loungers at the entrance to the town, and supervised most details of the incoming and outgoing worlds.  Lady Dunborough had not been up and about half-an-hour before she remarked these advantages.  In an hour her ladyship was installed in that suite, which, though in the east wing, was commonly reckoned to be one of the best in the house.  Heaven knows how she did it.  There is a pertinacity, shameless and violent, which gains its ends, be the crowd between never so dense.  It is possible that Mr. Smith would have ousted her had he dared.  It is possible he had to pay forfeit to the rightful tenants, and in private cursed her for an old jade and a brimstone.  But when a viscountess sits herself down in the middle of a room and declines to budge, she cannot with decency be taken up like a sack of hops and dumped in the passage.

Her ladyship, therefore, won, and had the pleasure of viewing from the coveted window the scene between Julia and Sir George; a scene which gave her the profoundest satisfaction.  What she could not see—­her eyes were no longer all that they had been—­she imagined.  In five minutes she had torn up the last rag of the girl’s character, and proved her as bad as the worst woman that ever rode down Cheapside in a cart.  Lady Dunborough was not mealy-mouthed, nor one of those who mince matters.

‘What did I tell you?’ she cried.  ’She will be on with that stuck-up before night, and be gone with morning.  If Dunborough comes back he may whistle for her!’

Mr. Thomasson did not doubt that her ladyship was right.  But he spoke with indifferent spirit.  He had had a bad night, had lain anywhere, and dressed nowhere, and was chilly and unkempt.  Apart from the awe in which he stood of her ladyship, he would have returned to Oxford by the first coach that morning.

‘Dear me!’ Lady Dunborough announced presently.  ’I declare he is leaving her!  Lord, how the slut ogles him!  She is a shameless baggage if ever there was one; and ruddled to the eyes, as I can see from here.  I hope the white may kill her!  Well, I’ll be bound it won’t be long before he is to her again!  My fine gentleman is like the rest of them—­a damned impudent fellow!’

Mr. Thomasson turned up his eyes.  ’There was something a little odd—­does not your lady think so?’—­he ventured to say, ’in her taking possession of Sir George’s rooms as she did.’

‘Did I not say so?  Did I not say that very thing?’

’It seems to prove an understanding between them before they met here last night.’

‘I’ll take my oath on it!’ her ladyship cried with energy.  Then in a tone of exultation she continued, ’Ah! here he is again, as I thought!  And come round by the street to mask the matter!  He has down beside her again.  Oh, he is limed, he is limed!’ my lady continued, as she searched for her spying-glass, that she might miss no wit of the love-making.