It was indeed a relief.  Her brother-in-law dead, and he also who had so lately been her suitor!  These two men whom she had so lately seen in lusty health—­proud with all the pride of outward life—­had both, by a stroke of the winds, been turned into nothing.  A terrible retribution had fallen upon her enemy—­for as her enemy she had ever regarded Hugh Clavering since her husband’s death.  She took no joy in this retribution.  There was no feeling of triumph at her heart in that he had perished.  She did not tell herself that she was glad, either for her own sake or for her sister’s.  But mingled with the awe she felt there was a something of unexpressed and inexpressible relief.  Her present life was very grievous to her, and now had occurred that which would open to her new hopes and a new mode of living.  Her brother-in-law had oppressed her by his very existence, and now he was gone.  Had she had no brother-in-law who ought to have welcomed her, her return to England would not have been terrible to her as it had been.  Her sister would be now restored to her, and her solitude would probably be at an end.  And then the very excitement occasioned by the news was salutary to her.  She was in truth, shocked.  As she said to her maid, she felt it to be very dreadful.  But, nevertheless, the day on which she received those tidings was less wearisome to her than any other of the days that she had passed at Tenby.

Poor Archie!  Some feeling of a tear, some half-formed drop that was almost a tear, came to her eye as she thought of his fate.  How foolish he had always been, how unintelligent, how deficient in all those qualities which recommend men to women!  But the very memory of his deficiencies created something like a tenderness in his favor.  Hugh was disagreeable, nay, hateful, by reason of the power which he possessed; whereas Archie was not hateful at all, and was disagreeable simply because nature had been a niggard to him.  And then he had professed himself to be her lover.  There had not been much in this; for he had come, of course, for her money; but even when that is the case, a woman will feel something for the man who has offered to link his lot with hers.  Of all those to whom the fate of the two brothers had hitherto been matter of moment, I think that Lady Ongar felt more than any other for the fate of poor Archie.

And how would it affect Harry Clavering?  She had desired to give Harry all the good things of the world, thinking that they would become him well—­thinking that they would become him very well as reaching him from her hand.  Now he would have them all, but would not have them from her.  Now he would have them all, and would share them with Florence Burton.  Ah! if she could have been true to him in those early days—­in those days when she had feared his poverty—­would it not have been well now with her also?  The measure of her retribution was come full home to her at last!  Sir Harry Clavering!  She tried the name, and found that