possible. The father found it impracticable to talk his son out of
his intended marriage; indeed, he hardly attempted to do so by any
direct persuasion. He explained to him that it was impossible that he
should marry at once, and suggested that he, Frank, was very young.

"You married, sir, before you were one-and-twenty," said Frank. Yes,
and repented before I was two-and-twenty. So did not say the squire.

He suggested that Mary should have time to ascertain what would be
her uncle's wishes, and ended by inducing Frank to promise, that
after taking his degree in October he would go abroad for some
months, and that he would not indeed return to Greshamsbury till he
was three-and-twenty.

"He may perhaps forget her," said the father to himself, as this
agreement was made between them.

"He thinks that I shall forget her," said Frank to himself at the
same time; "but he does not know me."

When Lady Arabella at last got hold of her son she found that the
time for her preaching was utterly gone by. He told her, almost with
_sang-froid_, what his plans were; and when she came to understand
them, and to understand also what had taken place at Boxall Hill, she
could not blame the squire for what he had done. She also said to
herself, more confidently than the squire had done, that Frank would
quite forget Mary before the year was out. "Lord Buckish," said she
to herself, rejoicingly, "is now with the ambassador at Paris"--Lord
Buckish was her nephew--"and with him Frank will meet women that are
really beautiful--women of fashion. When with Lord Buckish he will
soon forget Mary Thorne."

But not on this account did she change her resolve to follow up
to the furthest point her hostility to the Thornes. She was fully
enabled now to do so, for Dr Fillgrave was already reinstalled at
Greshamsbury as her medical adviser.

One other short visit did Frank pay to Boxall Hill, and one interview
had he with Dr Thorne. Mary told him all she knew of her own sad
history, and was answered only by a kiss,--a kiss absolutely not in
any way by her to be avoided; the first, the only one, that had ever
yet reached her lips from his. And then he went away.

The doctor told him all the story. "Yes," said Frank, "I knew it all
before. Dear Mary, dearest Mary! Don't you, doctor, teach yourself to
believe that I shall forget her." And then also he went his way from
him--went his way also from Greshamsbury, and was absent for the full
peri