, and even if during this year he were to
spend more than his income,--if he were to double or even treble the
expenditure of past years,--he could not consume the additions to his
wealth which had accrued and heaped themselves up since his marriage.
He had therefore written a line to his banker, and a line to his
lawyer, and he had himself seen Locock, and his wife's hands had been
loosened. "I didn't think, your Grace," said Locock, "that his Grace
would be so very--very--very--" "Very what, Locock?" "So very free,
your Grace." The Duchess, as she thought of it, declared to herself
that her husband was the truest nobleman in all England. She revered,
admired, and almost loved him. She knew him to be infinitely better
than herself. But she could hardly sympathise with him, and was quite
sure that he did not sympathise with her. He was so good about the
money! But yet it was necessary that he should be kept in the dark
as to the spending of a good deal of it. Now he was going to upset a
portion of her plans by coming to Gatherum before he was wanted. She
knew him to be obstinate, but it might be possible to turn him back
to his old purpose by clever manipulation.

"Of course it would be much nicer for me," she said.

"That alone would be sufficient."

"Thanks, dear. But we had arranged for people to come at first whom
I thought you would not specially care to meet. Sir Orlando and Mr.
Rattler will be there with their wives."

"I have become quite used to Sir Orlando and Mr. Rattler."

"No doubt, and therefore I wanted to spare you something of their
company. The Duke, whom you really do like, isn't coming yet. I
thought, too, you would have your work to finish off."

"I fear it is of a kind that won't bear finishing off. However, I
have made up my mind, and have already told Locock to send word to
the people at Matching to say that I shall not be there yet. How long
will all this last at Gatherum?"

"Who can say?"

"I should have thought you could. People are not coming, I suppose,
for an indefinite time."

"As one set leaves, one asks others."

"Haven't you asked enough as yet? I should like to know when we may
expect to get away from the place."

"You needn't stay till the end, you know."

"But you must."

"Certainly."

"And I should wish you to go with me, when we do go to Matching."

"Oh, Plantagenet," said the wife, "what a Darby and Joan kind of
thing you like to have it!"

"Yes, I do. The Da