Very unpleasantly and very uncomfortably did the months of May and
June pass away. Beatrice and Mary occasionally met, drinking tea
together at the parsonage, or in some other of the ordinary meetings
of country society; but there were no more confidentially distressing
confidential discourses, no more whispering of Frank's name, no more
sweet allusions to the inexpediency of a passion, which, according
to Beatrice's views, would have been so delightful had it been
expedient.

The squire and the doctor also met constantly; there were
unfortunately many subjects on which they were obliged to meet. Louis
Philippe--or Sir Louis as we must call him--though he had no power
over his own property, was wide awake to all the coming privileges
of ownership, and he would constantly point out to his guardian the
manner in which, according to his ideas, the most should be made of
it. The young baronet's ideas of good taste were not of the most
refined description, and he did not hesitate to tell Dr Thorne that
his, the doctor's, friendship with Mr Gresham must be no bar to his,
the baronet's, interest. Sir Louis also had his own lawyer, who gave
Dr Thorne to understand that, according to his ideas, the sum due
on Mr Gresham's property was too large to be left on its present
footing; the title-deeds, he said, should be surrendered or the
mortgage foreclosed. All this added to the sadness which now seemed
to envelop the village of Greshamsbury.

Early in July, Frank was to come home. The manner in which the
comings and goings of "poor Frank" were allowed to disturb the
arrangements of all the ladies, and some of the gentlemen, of
Greshamsbury was most abominable. And yet it can hardly be said to
have been his fault. He would have been only too well pleased had
things been allowed to go on after their old fashion. Things were
not allowed so to go on. At Christmas Miss Oriel had submitted to be
exiled, in order that she might carry Mary away from the presence of
the young Bashaw, an arrangement by which all the winter festivities
of the poor doctor had been thoroughly sacrificed; and now it began
to be said that some similar plan for the summer must be suggested.

It must not be supposed that any direction to this effect was
conveyed either to Mary or to the doctor. The suggestion came from
them, and was mentioned only to Patience. But Patience, as a matter
of course, told Beatrice, and Beatrice told her mother, somewhat
triumph