now--this afternoon; will you not?" she said; and
Mark promised that he would. He could not but feel that he himself
was greatly relieved. Lady Lufton might, probably, hear that her son
had been fool enough to fall in love with the parson's sister; but
under existing circumstances she could not consider herself aggrieved
either by the parson or by his sister. Lucy was behaving well, and
Mark was proud of her. Lucy was behaving with fierce spirit, and
Fanny was grieving for her.

"I'd rather be by myself till dinner-time," said Lucy, as Mrs.
Robarts prepared to go with her out of the room. "Dear Fanny, don't
look unhappy; there's nothing to make us unhappy. I told you I should
want goat's milk, and that will be all." Robarts, after sitting for
an hour with his wife, did return again to Framley Court; and, after
a considerable search, found Lord Lufton returning home to a late
dinner.

"Unless my mother asks her," said he, when the story had been told
him. "That is nonsense. Surely you told her that such is not the way
of the world." Robarts endeavoured to explain to him that Lucy could
not endure to think that her husband's mother should look on her with
disfavour.

"Does she think that my mother dislikes her; her specially?" asked
Lord Lufton. No; Robarts could not suppose that that was the
case; but Lady Lufton might probably think that a marriage with a
clergyman's sister would be a mesalliance.

"That is out of the question," said Lord Lufton; "as she has
especially wanted me to marry a clergyman's daughter for some time
past. But, Mark, it is absurd talking about my mother. A man in these
days is not to marry as his mother bids him." Mark could only assure
him, in answer to all this, that Lucy was very firm in what she was
doing, that she had quite made up her mind, and that she altogether
absolved Lord Lufton from any necessity to speak to his mother, if
he did not think well of doing so. But all this was to very little
purpose. "She does love me then?" said Lord Lufton.

"Well," said Mark, "I will not say whether she does or does not. I
can only repeat her own message. She cannot accept you, unless she
does so at your mother's request." And having said that again, he
took his leave, and went back to the parsonage. Poor Lucy, having
finished her interview with so much dignity, having fully satisfied
her brother, and declined any immediate consolation from her
sister-in-law, betook herself to her own bedroom.