‘Break off all intercourse with him?’

‘Yes.’

’What do you mean?  He has been turned out of this house, and I’m not to go to see him at his own.’

’I certainly think that you ought to discontinue your visits to Dr Thorne altogether.’

‘Nonsense, my dear; absolute nonsense.’

’Nonsense!  Mr Gresham; it is no nonsense.  As you speak in that way, I must let you know plainly what I feel.  I am endeavouring to do my duty by my son.  As you justly observe, such a marriage as this would be utter ruin to him.  When I found that the young people were actually talking of being in love with each other, making vows and all that sort of thing, I did think it time to interfere.  I did not, however, turn them out of Greshamsbury as you accuse me of doing.  In the kindest possible manner—­’

’Well—­well—­well; I know all that.  There, they are gone, and that’s enough.  I don’t complain; surely that ought to be enough.’

’Enough!  Mr Gresham.  No; it is not enough.  I find that, in spite of what has occurred, the closest intimacy exists between the two families; that poor Beatrice, who is so very young, and not so prudent as she should be, is made to act as a go-between; and when I speak to the doctor, hoping that he will assist me in preventing this, he not only tells me that he means to encourage Mary in her plans, but positively insults me to my face, laughs at me for being an earl’s daughter, and tells me—­yes, he absolutely told me—­to get out of his house.’

Let it be told with some shame as to the squire’s conduct, that his first feeling on hearing this was one of envy—­of envy and regret that he could not make the same uncivil request.  Not that he wished to turn his wife absolutely out of his house; but he would have been very glad to have had the power of dismissing her summarily from his own room.  This, however, was at present impossible; so he was obliged to make some mild reply.

’You must have mistaken him, my dear.  He could not have intended to say that.’

’Oh! of course, Mr Gresham.  It is a mistake, of course.  It will be a mistake, only a mistake when you find your son married to Mary Thorne.’

‘Well, my dear, I cannot undertake to quarrel with Dr Thorne.’  This was true; for the squire could hardly have quarrelled with Dr Thorne, even had he wished it.

’Then I think it right to tell you that I shall.  And, Mr Gresham, I did not expect much co-operation from you; but I did think that you would have shown some little anger when you heard that I had been so ill-treated.  I shall, however, know how to take care of myself; and I shall continue to do the best I can to protect Frank from these wicked intrigues.’