“Ay,” said Adrian, whose discreetness was a marvel.

“No gadding about in couples,” continued the baronet, “no kissing in public.  Such occurrences no boy should witness.  Whenever people of both sexes are thrown together, they will be silly; and where they are high-fed, uneducated, and barely occupied, it must be looked for as a matter of course.  Let it be known that I only require discreetness.”

Discreetness, therefore, was instructed to reign at the Abbey.  Under Adrian’s able tuition the fairest of its domestics acquired that virtue.

Discreetness, too, was enjoined to the upper household.  Sir Austin, who had not previously appeared to notice the case of Lobourne’s hopeless curate, now desired Mrs. Doria to interdict, or at least discourage, his visits, for the appearance of the man was that of an embodied sigh and groan.

“Really, Austin!” said Mrs. Doria, astonished to find her brother more awake than she had supposed, “I have never allowed him to hope.”

“Let him see it, then,” replied the baronet; “let him see it.”

“The man amuses me,” said Mrs. Doria.  “You know, we have few amusements here, we inferior creatures.  I confess I should like a barrel-organ better; that reminds one of town and the opera; and besides, it plays more than one tune.  However, since you think my society bad for him, let him stop away.”

With the self-devotion of a woman she grew patient and sweet the moment her daughter Clare was spoken of, and the business of her life in view.  Mrs. Doria’s maternal heart had betrothed the two cousins, Richard and Clare; had already beheld them espoused and fruitful.  For this she yielded the pleasures of town; for this she immured herself at Raynham; for this she bore with a thousand follies, exactions, inconveniences, things abhorrent to her, and heaven knows what forms of torture and self-denial, which are smilingly endured by that greatest of voluntary martyrs—­a mother with a daughter to marry.  Mrs. Doria, an amiable widow, had surely married but for her daughter Clare.  The lady’s hair no woman could possess without feeling it her pride.  It was the daily theme of her lady’s-maid,—­a natural aureole to her head.  She was gay, witty, still physically youthful enough to claim a destiny; and she sacrificed it to accomplish her daughter’s! sacrificed, as with heroic scissors, hair, wit, gaiety—­let us not attempt to enumerate how much! more than may be said.  And she was only one of thousands; thousands who have no portion of the hero’s reward; for he may reckon on applause, and condolence, and sympathy, and honour; they, poor slaves! must look for nothing but the opposition of their own sex and the sneers of ours.  O, Sir Austin! had you not been so blinded, what an Aphorism might have sprung from this point of observation!  Mrs. Doria was coolly told, between sister and brother, that during the Magnetic Age her daughter’s presence at Raynham was undesirable.  Instead of nursing offence, her sole thought was the mountain of prejudice she had to contend against.  She bowed, and said, Clare wanted sea-air—­she had never quite recovered the shock of that dreadful night.  How long, Mrs. Doria wished to know, might the Peculiar Period be expected to last?