r, Lady Persiflage, had given her no
comfort, and then she had sought for and had received encouragement
from her husband's chaplain. But in talking of Lord Hampstead's death
she had formed no plan. She had only declared in strong language that
if, by the hand of Providence, such a thing should be done, it would
be to her a happy chance. She had spoken out where another more
prudent than she would perhaps only have wished. But this man had
taken up her words with an apparently serious purpose which had
frightened her; and then, as though he had been the recipient of some
guilty secret, he had laid aside the respect which had been usual
to him, and had assumed a familiarity of co-partnership which had
annoyed and perplexed her. She did not quite understand it all, but
was conscious of a strong desire to be rid of him. But she did not
dare quite as yet to let him know that such was her purpose, and she
therefore sent her maid down to him with a message. "Mr. Greenwood
wants to see me," she said to the woman. "Will you tell him with my
compliments that I am not very well, and that I must beg him not to
stay long."

"Lord Hampstead has been a' quarrelling with Mr. Greenwood, my
lady,--this very morning," said the maid.

"Quarrelling, Walker?"

"Yes, my lady. There has been ever so much about it. My lord says as
he won't sit down to dinner with Mr. Greenwood on no account, and Mr.
Roberts has been here, all about it. He's to be turned away."

"Who is to be turned away?"

"Mr. Greenwood, my lady. Lord Hampstead has been about it all the
morning. It's for that my lord the Marquis has sent for him, and
nobody's to speak to him till he's packed up everything, and taken
himself right away out of the house."

"Who has told you all that, Walker?" Walker, however, would not
betray her informant. She answered that it was being talked of by
everybody down-stairs, and she repeated it now only because she
thought it proper that "my lady" should be informed of what was going
on. "My lady" was not sorry to have received the information even
from her maid, as it might assist her in her conversation with the
chaplain.

On this occasion Mr. Greenwood sat down without being asked. "I am
sorry to hear that you are so unwell, Lady Kingsbury."

"I have got one of my usual headaches;--only it's rather worse than
usual."

"I have something to say which I am sure you will not be surprised
that I should wish to tell you. I have been gro