that should henceforth belong to Harry Clavering.  Such had been her dream, and Harry had come to her with words of love which made it seem to be a reality.  He had spoken to her words of love which he was now forced to withdraw, and the dream was dissipated.  It was not to be allowed to her to escape her penalty so easily as that!  As for him, they were now quits.  That being the case, there could be no reason why they should quarrel.

But what now should she do with her wealth, and especially how should she act in respect to that place down in the country?  Though she had learned to hate Ongar Park during her solitary visit there, she had still looked forward to the pleasure the property might give her when she should be able to bestow it upon Harry Clavering.  But that had been part of her dream, and the dream was now over.  Through it all she had been conscious that she might hardly dare to hope that the end of her punishment should come so soon—­and now she knew that it was not come.  As far as she could see, there was no end to the punishment in prospect for her.  From her first meeting with Harry Clavering on the platform of the railway station, his presence, or her thoughts of him, had sufficed to give some brightness to her life—­had enabled her to support the friendship of Sophie Gordeloup, and also to support her solitude when poor Sophie had been banished.  But now she was left without any resource.  As she sat alone, meditating on all this, she endeavored to console herself with the repetition that, after all, she was the one whom Harry loved—­whom Harry would have chosen had he been free to choose.  But the comfort to be derived from that was very poor.  Yes, he had loved her once—­nay, perhaps he loved her still.  But when that love was her own she had rejected it.  She had rejected it, simply declaring to him, to her friends, and to the world at large, that she preferred to be rich.  She had her reward, and, bowing her head upon her hands, she acknowledged that the punishment was deserved.

Her first step after writing her note to Harry was to send for Mr. Turnbull, her lawyer.  She had expected to see Harry on the evening of the day on which she had written, but instead of that she received a note from him in which he said that he would come to her before long.  Mr. Turnbull was more instant in obeying her commands, and was with her on the morning after he received her injunction.  He was almost a perfect stranger to her, having only seen her once, and that for a few moments after her return to England.  Her marriage settlements had been prepared for her by Sir Hugh’s attorney; but during her sojourn in Florence it had become necessary that she should have some one in London to look after her own affairs, and Mr. Turnbull had been recommended to her by lawyers employed by her husband.  He was a prudent, sensible man, who recognized it to be his imperative interest to look after his client’s interest.  And he had done his duty by Lady Ongar in that trying time