terrible question
remained;--How was she to act if it should turn out that he was
coming to dinner?

"If he does come, Fanny," she said, solemnly, after a pause, "I must
keep to my own room, and leave Mark to think what he pleases. It will
be better for me to make a fool of myself there, than in his presence
in the drawing-room."

Mark Robarts took his hat and stick and went over at once to the
home paddock, in which he knew that Lord Lufton was engaged with the
horses and grooms. He also was in no supremely happy frame of mind,
for his correspondence with Mr. Tozer was on the increase. He had
received notice from that indefatigable gentleman that certain
"overdue bills" were now lying at the bank in Barchester, and were
very desirous of his, Mr. Robarts's, notice. A concatenation of
certain peculiarly unfortunate circumstances made it indispensably
necessary that Mr. Tozer should be repaid, without further loss of
time, the various sums of money which he had advanced on the credit
of Mr. Robarts's name, &c. &c. &c. No absolute threat was put forth,
and, singular to say, no actual amount was named. Mr. Roberts,
however, could not but observe, with a most painfully accurate
attention, that mention was made, not of an overdue bill, but of
overdue bills. What if Mr. Tozer were to demand from him the instant
repayment of nine hundred pounds? Hitherto he had merely written to
Mr. Sowerby, and he might have had an answer from that gentleman this
morning, but no such answer had as yet reached him. Consequently he
was not, at the present moment, in a very happy frame of mind.

He soon found himself with Lord Lufton and the horses. Four or five
of them were being walked slowly about the paddock in the care of as
many men or boys, and the sheets were being taken off them--off one
after another, so that their master might look at them with the more
accuracy and satisfaction. But though Lord Lufton was thus doing his
duty, and going through his work, he was not doing it with his whole
heart,--as the head groom perceived very well. He was fretful about
the nags, and seemed anxious to get them out of his sight as soon
as he had made a decent pretext of looking at them. "How are you,
Lufton?" said Robarts, coming forward. "They told me that you were
down, and so I came across at once."

"Yes; I only got here this morning, and should have been over with
you directly. I am going to Norway for six weeks or so, and it seems
that the