kind of you to say so. I have
told no one else, and of course would tell no one till you knew it.
No one has known her and understood her so well as you have done. And
I can assure you of this, that there is no one to whose friendship
she looks forward in her new sphere of life with half so much
pleasure as she does to yours." Lady Lufton did not say much further.
She could not declare that she expected much gratification from an
intimacy with the future Marchioness of Hartletop. The Hartletops and
Luftons must, at any rate for her generation, live in a world apart,
and she had now said all that her old friendship with Mrs. Grantly
required. Mrs. Grantly understood all this quite as well as did Lady
Lufton; but then Mrs. Grantly was much the better woman of the world.
It was arranged that Griselda should come back to Bruton Street for
the night, and that her visit should then be brought to a close.

"The archdeacon thinks that for the present I had better remain up in
town," said Mrs. Grantly, "and under the very peculiar circumstances
Griselda will be--perhaps more comfortable with me." To this Lady
Lufton entirely agreed; and so they parted, excellent friends,
embracing each other in a most affectionate manner. That evening
Griselda did return to Bruton Street, and Lady Lufton had to go
through the further task of congratulating her. This was the more
disagreeable of the two, especially so as it had to be thought over
beforehand. But the young lady's excellent good sense and sterling
qualities made the task comparatively an easy one. She neither cried,
nor was impassioned, nor went into hysterics, nor showed any emotion.
She did not even talk of her noble Dumbello,--her generous Dumbello.
She took Lady Lufton's kisses almost in silence, thanked her gently
for her kindness, and made no allusion to her own future grandeur.

"I think I should like to go to bed early," she said, "as I must see
to my packing up."

"Richards will do all that for you, my dear."

"Oh, yes, thank you, nothing can be kinder than Richards. But I'll
just see to my own dresses." And so she went to bed early.

Lady Lufton did not see her son for the next two days, but when she
did, of course she said a word or two about Griselda. "You have heard
the news, Ludovic?" she asked.

"Oh, yes; it's at all the clubs. I have been overwhelmed with
presents of willow branches."

"You, at any rate, have got nothing to regret," she said.

"Nor you ei