eted her wishes. But he had certainly heard
from her language so strong, in reference to her husband's children,
that he had been justified in considering that it was intended to
be secret. As a consequence of this he had been compelled to choose
between the Marquis and the Marchioness. By becoming the confidential
friend of the one he had necessarily become the enemy of the other.
Then, as a further consequence, he was turned out of the house,--and,
as he declared to himself, utterly ruined. Now in this there had
certainly been much hardship, and who was to compensate him if not
the Marquis?

There certainly had been some talk about Appleslocombe during those
moments of hot passion in which Lady Kingsbury had allowed herself to
say such evil things of Lady Frances and Lord Hampstead. Whether any
absolute promise had been given she would probably not now remember.
There certainly had been a moment in which she had thought that
her husband's life might possibly pass away before that of the old
rector; and reference may have been made to the fact that had her own
darling been the heir, the gift of the living would then have fallen
into her own hands. Mr. Greenwood had probably thought more of some
possible compensation for the living than of the living itself. He
had no doubt endeavoured to frighten her ladyship into thinking that
some mysterious debt was due to him, if not for services actually
rendered, at any rate for extraordinary confidences. But before he
had forced upon her the acknowledgment of the debt, he was turned out
of the house! Now this he felt to be hard.

What were two hundred a-year as a pension for a gentleman after
such a life-long service? Was it to be endured that he should have
listened for so many years to all the abominable politics of the
Marquis, and to the anger and disappointment of the Marchioness, that
he should have been so closely connected, and for so many years,
with luxury, wealth, and rank, and then arrive at so poor an evening
of his day? As he thought of this he felt the more ashamed of his
misfortune, because he believed himself to be in all respects a
stronger man than the Marquis. He had flattered himself that he could
lead the Marquis, and had thought that he had been fairly successful
in doing so. His life had been idle, luxurious, and full of comfort.
The Marquis had allowed him to do pretty well what he pleased until
in an evil hour he had taken the side of the Marchioness