d become a Member of
Parliament. Her ideas of the British constitution were rather vague;
but she thought that a Member of Parliament was at least as good as a
lord who was not a peer. He had his wealth; but she was sure that he
was too proud to think of that.

Just at this period, when the session was beginning, Rachel began to
doubt the wisdom of what she was doing. The lord was, in truth, good
enough for her. He was nearly double her age, but she had determined
to disregard that. He was plain, but that was of no moment. He had
run after twenty different women, but she could condone all that,
because he had come at last to run after her. For his wealth she
cared nothing,--or less than nothing, because by remaining single
she could command wealth of her own;--wealth which she could control
herself, and keep at her own banker's, which she suspected would
not be the case with Lord Castlewell's money. But she had found the
necessity of someone to lean upon when Frank Jones had told her that
he would not marry her, and she had feared Mr. Moss so much that she
had begun to think that he would, in truth, frighten her into doing
some horrible thing. As Frank had deserted her, it would be better
that she should marry somebody. Lord Castlewell had come, and she had
felt that the fates were very good to her. She learned from the words
of everybody around,--from her new friends at Covent Garden, and from
her old enemies at "The Embankment," and from her father himself,
that she was the luckiest singing girl at this moment known in
Europe. "By G----, she'll get him!" such had been the exclamation
made with horror by Mr. Moss, and the echo of it had found its way to
her ears. The more Mr. Moss was annoyed, the greater ought to have
been her delight. But,--but was she in truth delighted? As she came
to think of the reality she asked herself what were the pleasures
which were promised to her. Did she not feel that a week spent with
Frank Jones in some little cottage would be worth a twelvemonth of
golden splendour in the "Marble Halls" which Lord Castlewell was
supposed to own? And why had Frank deserted her? Simply because he
would not come with her and share her money. Frank, she told herself,
was, in truth, a gallant fellow. She did love Frank. She acknowledged
so much to herself again and again. And yet she was about to marry
Lord Castlewell, simply because her doing so would be the severest
possible blow to her old enemy, Mr. M