how much gaiety was due to her meek presence among us.
We even gave dinner-parties in state, and what Richardson and I
underwent from Eustace in preparation, no tongue can tell, nor
Eustace's complacence in handing down Lady Diana!

The embargo on intercourse with Arked House was over before Viola was
taken to London to be introduced. Eustace wanted much to follow them,
be at the levee, and spend the season in town. Had he not been
presented at Government House, and was it not due to the Queen? Dora
more practically offered to follow the example of the Siberian exile,
and lay a petition for Prometesky's release at her Majesty's feet, but
Harold uttered his ponderous "No" alike to both, proving, in his
capacity as agent, that Eustace had nothing like the amount this year
which could enable him to spend two or three months even as a single
man in London society. The requisite amount, which he had ascertained,
was startling, even had Eustace been likely to be frugal; nor could
this year's income justify it, in spite of Boola Boola. The expense of
coming into the estate, together with all the repairs and improvements,
had been such that the Australian property had been needed to
supplement the new. Eustace was very angry and disappointed, and
grumbled vehemently. It was all Harry's fault for making him spend
hundreds on his own maggots, that nobody wanted and nobody cared about,
and would be the ruin of him. Poor Bullock would have raised the sum
fast enough, and thought nothing of it.

Harry never said how much of his own funds from Boola Boola had
supplemented Eustace's outlay; he did not even say how much better it
was to be a good landlord than a man about town; all he did was to
growl forth to his spoilt child, "There'll be more forthcoming next
year."

Eustace protested that he did not believe it, and Harold replied, "No
legacy duty--no stock to purchase--Hydriots' dividend--"

It did not check the murmur, and Eustace sulked all the rest of the
day; indeed, this has always seemed to me to have been the first little
rift in his adherence to his cousin, but at that time his dependence
was so absolute, and his power of separate action so small, that he
submitted to the decree even while he grumbled; and when he found that
Lord Erymanth viewed it as very undesirable for a young man to come up
to London without either home or business, or political views, took to
himself great credit for the wise decision.

I