n Fanny began,--

"Lord Lufton is here, Lucy."

"Here! Where? At the parsonage?"

"No, not at the parsonage; but over at Framley Court," said Mark.

"And he promises to call here after breakfast to-morrow," said Fanny.
And then again there was a pause. Mrs. Robarts hardly dared to look
Lucy in the face. She had not betrayed her trust, seeing that the
secret had been told to Mark, not by her, but by Lord Lufton; but she
could not but feel that Lucy would think that she had betrayed it.

"Very well," said Lucy, trying to smile; "I have no objection in
life."

"But, Lucy, dear,"--and now Mrs. Roberts put her arm round her
sister-in-law's waist--"he is coming here especially to see you."

"Oh; that makes a difference. I am afraid that I shall be--engaged."

"He has told everything to Mark," said Mrs. Roberts. Lucy now felt
that her bravery was almost deserting her. She hardly knew which way
to look or how to stand. Had Fanny told everything also? There was so
much that Fanny knew that Lord Lufton could not have known. But, in
truth, Fanny had told all--the whole story of Lucy's love, and had
described the reasons which had induced her to reject her suitor; and
had done so in words which, had Lord Lufton heard them, would have
made him twice as passionate in his love. And then it certainly did
occur to Lucy to think why Lord Lufton should have come to Framley
and told all this history to her brother. She attempted for a moment
to make herself believe that she was angry with him for doing so. But
she was not angry. She had not time to argue much about it, but there
came upon her a gratified sensation of having been remembered, and
thought of, and--loved. Must it not be so? Could it be possible that
he himself would have told this tale to her brother, if he did not
still love her? Fifty times she had said to herself that his offer
had been an affair of the moment, and fifty times she had been
unhappy in so saying. But this new coming of his could not be an
affair of the moment. She had been the dupe, she had thought, of an
absurd passion on her own part; but now--how was it now? She did not
bring herself to think that she should ever be Lady Lufton. She had
still, in some perversely obstinate manner, made up her mind against
that result. But yet, nevertheless, it did in some unaccountable
manner satisfy her to feel that Lord Lufton had himself come down
to Framley and himself told this story. "He has told everything t