‘But,’ argued the ancient, respectable family attorney to the doctor, ’that amounts to two-thirds of the whole estate.  Two-thirds, Dr Thorne!  It is preposterous; I should almost say impossible.’  And the scanty hairs on the poor man’s head almost stood on end as he thought of the outrageous manner in which the heiress prepared to sacrifice herself.

‘It will all be the same in the end,’ said the doctor, trying to make things smooth.  ’Of course, their joint object will be to put the Greshamsbury property together again.’

’But, my dear sir,’—­and then, for twenty minutes, the lawyer went on proving that it would be no means be the same thing; but, nevertheless, Mary Thorne did have her own way.

In the course of the winter, Lady de Courcy tried very hard to induce the heiress to visit Courcy Castle, and this request was so backed by Lady Arabella, that the doctor said he thought she might as well go there for three or four days.  But here, again, Mary was obstinate.

‘I don’t see it at all,’ she said.  ’If you make a point of it, or Frank, or Mr Gresham, I will go; but I can’t see any possible reason.’  The doctor, when so appealed to, would not absolutely say that he made a point of it, and Mary was tolerably safe as regarded Frank or the squire.  If she went, Frank would be expected to go, and Frank disliked Courcy Castle almost more than ever.  His aunt was now more than civil to him, and, when they were together, never ceased to compliment him on the desirable way in which he had done his duty by the family.

And soon after Christmas a visitor came to Mary, and stayed a fortnight with her:  one whom neither she nor the doctor had expected, and of whom they had not much more than heard.  This was the famous Miss Dunstable.  ‘Birds of a feather flock together,’ said Mrs Rantaway—­late Miss Gushing—­when she heard of the visit.  ’The railway man’s niece—­if you can call her a niece—­and the quack’s daughter will do very well together, no doubt.’

‘At any rate, they can count their money-bags,’ said Mrs Umbleby.

And in fact, Mary and Miss Dunstable did get on very well together; and Miss Dunstable made herself quite happy at Greshamsbury, although some people—­including Mrs Rantaway—­contrived to spread a report, that Dr Thorne, jealous of Mary’s money was going to marry her.

‘I shall certainly come and see you turned off,’ said Miss Dunstable, taking leave of her new friend.  Miss Dunstable, it must be acknowledged, was a little too fond of slang; but then, a lady with her fortune, and of her age, may be fond of almost whatever she pleases.

And so by degrees the winter wore away—­very slowly to Frank, as he declared often enough; and slowly, perhaps, to Mary also, but she did not say so.  The spring came round.  The comic almanacs give us dreadful pictures of January and February; but, in truth, the months which should be made to look gloomy in England are March and April.  Let no man boast himself that he has got through the perils of winter till at least the seventh of May.