Dixon was crying—­enough for two; but, after wiping her eyes and steadying her voice, she managed to tell Mr. Bell, that Mrs. Lennox was too near her confinement to be able to undertake any journey at present.

’Well!  I suppose we must have Mrs. Shaw; she’s come back to England, isn’t she?’

’Yes, sir, she’s come back; but I don’t think she will like to leave Mrs. Lennox at such an interesting time,’ said Dixon, who did not much approve of a stranger entering the household, to share with her in her ruling care of Margaret.

‘Interesting time be—­’ Mr. Bell restricted himself to coughing over the end of his sentence.  ’She could be content to be at Venice or Naples, or some of those Popish places, at the last “interesting time,” which took place in Corfu, I think.  And what does that little prosperous woman’s “interesting time” signify, in comparison with that poor creature there,—­that helpless, homeless, friendless Margaret—­lying as still on that sofa as if it were an altar-tomb, and she the stone statue on it.  I tell you, Mrs. Shaw shall come.  See that a room, or whatever she wants, is got ready for her by to-morrow night.  I’ll take care she comes.’

Accordingly Mr. Bell wrote a letter, which Mrs. Shaw declared, with many tears, to be so like one of the dear general’s when he was going to have a fit of the gout, that she should always value and preserve it.  If he had given her the option, by requesting or urging her, as if a refusal were possible, she might not have come—­true and sincere as was her sympathy with Margaret.  It needed the sharp uncourteous command to make her conquer her vis inertiae, and allow herself to be packed by her maid, after the latter had completed the boxes.  Edith, all cap, shawls, and tears, came out to the top of the stairs, as Captain Lennox was taking her mother down to the carriage: 

’Don’t forget, mamma; Margaret must come and live with us.  Sholto will go to Oxford on Wednesday, and you must send word by Mr. Bell to him when we’re to expect you.  And if you want Sholto, he can go on from Oxford to Milton.  Don’t forget, mamma; you are to bring back Margaret.’

Edith re-entered the drawing-room.  Mr. Henry Lennox was there, cutting open the pages of a new Review.  Without lifting his head, he said, ’If you don’t like Sholto to be so long absent from you, Edith, I hope you will let me go down to Milton, and give what assistance I can.’

‘Oh, thank you,’ said Edith, ’I dare say old Mr. Bell will do everything he can, and more help may not be needed.  Only one does not look for much savoir-faire from a resident Fellow.  Dear, darling Margaret! won’t it be nice to have her here, again?  You were both great allies, years ago.’

‘Were we?’ asked he indifferently, with an appearance of being interested in a passage in the Review.

’Well, perhaps not—­I forget.  I was so full of Sholto.  But doesn’t it fall out well, that if my uncle was to die, it should be just now, when we are come home, and settled in the old house, and quite ready to receive Margaret?  Poor thing! what a change it will be to her from Milton!  I’ll have new chintz for her bedroom, and make it look new and bright, and cheer her up a little.’