‘And you will not speak a word for me!’

‘No!  Speak for yourself!’ and she left the room.

Days passed on, till she began to think that, after all, Gilbert preferred Calcutta, cholera, Thugs, and all, to facing his father; but at last, he must have taken heart from his extremity, for Mr. Kendal said, with less vexation than she had anticipated, ’So our plans are overthrown.  Gilbert tells me he has an invincible dislike to Calcutta.  Had you any such idea?’

‘Not till your cousin’s letter arrived.  What did you say to him?’

’He was so much afraid of vexing me that I was obliged to encourage him to speak freely, and I found that he had always had a strong distaste to and dread of India.  I told him I wished he had made me aware of it sooner, and desired to know what profession he really preferred.  He spoke of Oxford and the Bar, and so I suppose it must be.  I do not wonder that he wishes to follow his Traversham friends, and as they are a good set, I hope there may not be much temptation.  I see you are not satisfied, Albinia, yet your wishes were one of my motives.’

‘Thank you—­once I should,’ said Albinia; ’but, Edmund, I see how wrong it was to have concealed anything from you;’ and thereupon she informed him of Gilbert’s passion for Genevieve Durant, which astonished him greatly, though he took it far less seriously than she had expected, and was not displeased at having been kept in ignorance and spared the trouble of taking notice of it, and thus giving it importance.

‘It will pass off,’ he said.  ’She has too much sense and principle to encourage him, and if you can get her out of Bayford for a few years he will be glad to have it forgotten.’

’Poor Genevieve!  She must break up her grandmother’s home after all!’

’It will be a great advantage to her.  You used to say that it would be most desirable for her to see more of the world.  Away from this place she might marry well.’

‘Any one’s son but yours,’ said Albinia, smiling.

’The connexion would be worse here than anywhere else; but I was not thinking of any one in our rank of life.  There are many superior men in trade with whom she might be very happy.’

‘Poor child!’ sighed Albinia.  ’I cannot feel that it is fair that she should be banished for Gilbert’s faults; and I am sorry for the school; you cannot think how much the tone was improving.’

’If it could be done without hurting her feelings, I should gladly give her a year at some superior finishing school, which might either qualify her for a governess, or enable her to make this one more profitable.’

‘Oh! thank you!’ cried Albinia; ’yet I doubt.  However, her services would be quite equivalent in any school to the lessons she wants.  I’ll write to Mrs. Elwood—­’ and she was absorbed in the register-office in her brain, when Mr. Kendal continued—­

’This is quite unexpected.  I could not have supposed the boy so foolish!  However, if you please, I will speak to him, tell him that I was unaware of his folly, and insist on his giving it up.’