h is common enough in good and
warm-hearted women, she could only regard him as the disturber of
happiness, the ruin of Thyrza's prospects. Lydia was not ambitious; she
had never been enthusiastic about Gilbert's promotion to the
librarianship, and doubtless it would have pleased her just as well for
Thyrza to marry Grail if the latter had had no thought of quitting his
familiar work. Consequently it was no difficulty to her to leave
altogether out of sight Egremont's purposed benefits to Gilbert. She no
longer believed that he was innocent of designs in his intercourse with
Thyrza. This change was a natural enough consequence of Lydia's
character, just as it had been perfectly natural for her to think and
speak as she had done under the first shock of her sister's flight.
Since then she had suffered terribly, and the suffering turned her
against him who was the plain cause of it.

'What is the post-mark on the envelope?' Gilbert asked, Lydia
continuing to brood over her jealousies and dreads.

The stamp was 'Charing Cross.' Small help derivable from that.

'She doesn't even say whether she'll write again,' Lydia murmured.

Gilbert said presently: 'I shall write to Mr. Egremont, and tell him
that we have heard.'

'Oh no!' Lydia protested, indignantly. 'Why should you tell him? You
mustn't do that, Gilbert; I don't want him to know.'

'I promised him, Lyddy. Of course I shouldn't tell him where she was,
if we knew, but I promised to let him hear if we had any news.'

'Then I don't see why you promised such a thing. It doesn't concern
him.'

Gilbert was troubled by this persistence. Lydia spoke with earnest
disapproval. He could not do as he wished in defiance of her, yet he
must certainly keep his promise to Egremont.

'You must remember,' he said gently, 'that he has reason to be anxious,
as well as we.'

'What have we to do with that?' she replied, stubbornly. 'He has no
right to think anything about her.'

'I mean, Lyddy, that he is troubled because of our trouble. All I want
to do is to tell him that a letter has come from Thyrza, without
address, and that she says she has found friends. Won't you consent to
that?'

After a short silence, Lydia replied:

'I won't say any more, Gilbert. As you like.'

'No, that's not enough. I must have your full agreement. It's either
right or wrong to do it, and you must make up your mind clearly.'

'I shouldn't wonder if he knows,' she said briefly.

'He doesn'