ronage or allow it to be so
bestowed, Mr. Greenwood was very sure. There had been that between
him and Lord Hampstead which convinced him that the young man
was more hostile to him even than the father. The Marquis, as Mr.
Greenwood thought, had insulted him of late;--but Lord Hampstead,
young as he was, had also been insolent; and what was worse, he had
insulted Lord Hampstead. There had been something in the young lord's
eye which had assured him of the young lord's contempt as well as
dislike. If anything could be done about the living it must be done
by the Marquis. The Marquis was very ill; but it was still probable
that the old rector should die first. He had been given to understand
that the old rector could hardly live many weeks.

Mr. Greenwood understood but little of the young lord's character.
The Marquis, no doubt, he knew well, having lived with him for
many years. When he supposed his patron to be fretful and irascible
because of his infirmities, but to be by nature forgiving,
unreasonable, and weak, he drew an easy portrait, which was like the
person portrayed. But in attributing revenge, or harshness, or pride
of power to Lord Hampstead he was altogether wrong. As regarded
Appleslocombe and other parishes, the patronage of which would some
day belong to him, Lord Hampstead had long since made up his mind
that he would have nothing to do with them, feeling himself unfit to
appoint clergymen to ministrations in a Church to which he did not
consider himself to belong. All that he would leave to the Bishop,
thinking that the Bishop must know more about it than himself. Was
his father, however, to make any request to him with reference to
Appleslocombe especially, he would no doubt regard the living as
bestowed before his father's death. But of all this Mr. Greenwood
could understand nothing. He felt, however, that as the Marquis had
given him cause for anger, so had the young lord given him cause for
hatred as well as anger.

Daily, almost hourly, these matters were discussed between Lady
Kingsbury and the chaplain. There had come to be strong sympathy
between them as far as sympathy can exist where the feelings are
much stronger on the one side than on the other. The mother of the
"darlings" had allowed herself to inveigh very bitterly against her
husband's children by his former marriage, and at first had been
received only half way by her confidential friend. But of late
her confidential friend had be