“No—­and she will not forget her rank and her money; for that must now be hers.  Julia can be quite as hard and as stubborn as he can.  But I did write as I say, and I think that if she had got my letter before she had written herself, she would perhaps have stayed.  But here is a letter from her, declaring that she will come at once.  She will be starting almost as soon as my letter gets there, and I am sure she will not alter her purpose now.”

“I don’t see why she should not come if she likes it.”

“Only that she might be more comfortable there.  But read what she says.  You need not read the first part.  Not that there is any secret; but it is about him and his last moments, and it would only pain you.”

Harry longed to read the whole, but he did as he was bid, and began the letter at the spot which Lady Clavering marked for him with her finger.  “I have to start on the third, and as I shall stay nowhere except to sleep at Turin and Paris, I shall be home by the eighth—­I think on the evening of the eighth.  I shall bring only my own maid, and one of his men who desires to come back with me.  I wish to have apartments taken for me in London.  I suppose Hugh will do as much as this for me.”

“I am quite sure Hugh won’t,” said Lady Clavering, who was watching his eye as he read.

Harry said nothing, but went on reading.  “I shall only want two sitting-rooms and two bedrooms—­one for myself and one for Clara—­and should like to have them somewhere near Piccadilly—­in Clarges street, or about there.  You can write me a line, or send me a message to the Hotel Bristol, at Paris.  If anything fails, so that I should not hear, I shall go to the Palace Hotel; and, in that case, should telegraph for rooms from Paris.”

“Is that all I’m to read?” Harry asked.

“You can go on and see what she says as to her reason for coming.”  So Harry went on reading.  “I have suffered much, and of course I know that I must suffer more; but I am determined that I will face the worst of it at once.  It has been hinted to me that an attempt will be made to interfere with the settlement—­” “Who can have hinted that?” said Harry.  Lady Clavering suspected who might have done so, but she made no answer.  “I can hardly think it possible; but, if it is done, I will not be out of the way.  I have done my duty as best I could, and have done it under circumstances that I may truly say were terrible; and I will go on doing it.  No one shall say that I am ashamed to show my face and claim my own.  You will be surprised when you see me.  I have aged so much—­”

“You need not go on,” said Lady Clavering.  “The rest is about nothing that signifies.”

Then Harry refolded the letter and gave it back to his companion.

“Sir Hugh is gone, and therefore I could not show him that in time to do anything; but if I were to do so, he would simply do nothing, and let her go to the hotel in London.  Now that would be unkind—­would it not?”