that the tranquillity of the Clock House at Nuncombe Putney afforded to her all that she desired.  She had been there now a month, and was almost sick from the want of excitement.  And she was full of wrath against her husband.  Why had he sent her there to break her heart in, a disgraceful retirement, when she had never wronged him?  From morning to night she had no employment, no amusement, nothing to satisfy her cravings.  Why was she to be doomed to such an existence?  She had declared that as long as she could have her boy with her, she would be happy.  She was allowed to have her boy; but she was anything but happy.  When she received Colonel Osborne’s letter, while she held it in her hand still unopened, she never for a moment thought that that could make her happy.  But there was in it something of excitement.  And she painted the man to herself in brighter colours now than she had ever given to him in her former portraits.  He cared for her.  He was gracious to her.  He appreciated her talents, her beauty, and her conduct.  He knew that she deserved a treatment very different from that accorded to her by her husband.  Why should she reject the sympathy of her father’s oldest friend, because her husband was madly jealous about an old man?  Her husband had chosen to send her away, and to leave her, so that she must act on her own judgment.  Acting on her own judgment, she read Colonel Osborne’s letter from first to last.  She knew that he was wrong to speak of coming to Nuncombe Putney; but yet she thought that she would see him.  She had a dim perception that she was standing on the edge of a precipice, on broken ground which might fall under her without a moment’s warning, and yet she would not retreat from the danger.  Though Colonel Osborne was wrong, very wrong in coming to see her, yet she liked him for coming.  Though she would be half afraid to tell her news to Mrs Stanbury, and more than half afraid to tell Priscilla, yet she liked the excitement of the fear.  Nora would scold her; but Nora’s scolding she thought she could answer.  And then it was not the fact that Colonel Osborne was coming down to Devonshire to see her.  He was coming as far as Lessboro’ to see his friend at Cockchaffington.  And when at Lessboro’, was it likely that he should leave the neighbourhood without seeing the daughter of his old ally?  And why should he do so?

Was he to be unnatural in his conduct, uncivil, and unfriendly, because Mr Trevelyan had been foolish, suspicious, and insane?

So arguing with herself, she answered Colonel Osborne’s letter before she had spoken on the subject to any one in the house and this was her answer: 

’My dear Colonel Osborne,

I must leave it to your own judgment to decide whether you will come to Nuncombe Putney or not.  There are reasons which would seem to make it expedient that you should stay away even though circumstances are bringing you into the immediate neighbourhood.  But of these reasons I will leave you to be the judge.  I will never let it be said that I myself have had cause to dread the visit of any old friend.  Nevertheless, if you stay away, I shall understand why you do so.