“It was a matter of no moment.  He came to see Lady Julia De Guest.”

“Yes; but he came about that man Crosbie.”

“I suppose he did.”

“Why have you let that girl be such a fool?  You’ll find he’ll play her some knave’s trick.”

“Oh dear, no.”

“And why should she want to marry such a man as that?”

“He’s quite a gentleman, you know, and very much thought of in the world.  It won’t be at all bad for her, poor thing.  It is so very hard for a girl to get married nowadays without money.”

“And so they’re to take up with anybody.  As far as I can see, this is a worse affair than that of Amelia.”

“Amelia has done very well, my dear.”

“Oh, if you call it doing well for your girls; I don’t.  I call it doing uncommon badly; about as bad as they well can do.  But it’s your affair.  I have never meddled with them, and don’t intend to do it now.”

“I really think she’ll be happy, and she is devotedly attached to the young man.”

“Devotedly attached to the young man!” The tone and manner in which the earl repeated these words were such as to warrant an opinion that his lordship might have done very well on the stage had his attention been called to that profession.  “It makes me sick to hear people talk in that way.  She wants to get married, and she’s a fool for her pains;—­I can’t help that; only remember that I’ll have no nonsense here about that other girl.  If he gives me trouble of that sort, by ——­, I’ll be the death of him.  When is the marriage to be?”

“They talk of February.”

“I won’t have any tomfoolery and expense.  If she chooses to marry a clerk in an office, she shall marry him as clerks are married.”

“He’ll be the secretary before that, de Courcy.”

“What difference does that make?  Secretary, indeed!  What sort of men do you suppose secretaries are?  A beggar that came from nobody knows where!  I won’t have any tomfoolery;—­d’ye hear?” Whereupon the countess said that she did hear, and soon afterwards managed to escape.  The valet then took his turn; and repeated, after his hour of service, that “Old Nick” in his tantrums had been more like the Prince of Darkness than ever.

CHAPTER XXVII

“On My Honour, I Do Not Understand It”

In the meantime Lady Alexandrina endeavoured to realise to herself all the advantages and disadvantages of her own position.  She was not possessed of strong affections, nor of depth of character, nor of high purpose; but she was no fool, nor was she devoid of principle.  She had asked herself many times whether her present life was so happy as to make her think that a permanent continuance in it would suffice for her desires, and she had always replied to herself that she would fain change to some other life if it were possible.  She had also questioned herself as to her rank, of which she was quite sufficiently