e beneath his
judgment unprofessionally. But this he could not stand. Something
must be done in the matter. The marriage must be stayed till after
the trial,--or else he must himself retire from the defence and
explain both to Lady Mason and to Sir Peregrine why he did so.

And then he thought of the woman herself, and his spirit within him
became very bitter. Had any one told him that he was jealous of the
preference shown by his client to Sir Peregrine, he would have fumed
with anger, and thought that he was fuming justly. But such was in
truth the case. Though he believed her to have been guilty of this
thing, though he believed her to be now guilty of the worse offence
of dragging the baronet to his ruin, still he was jealous of her
regard. Had she been content to lean upon him, to trust to him as her
great and only necessary friend, he could have forgiven all else, and
placed at her service the full force of his professional power,--even
though by doing so he might have lowered himself in men's minds. And
what reward did he expect? None. He had formed no idea that the woman
would become his mistress. All that was as obscure before his mind's
eye, as though she had been nineteen and he five-and-twenty.

He was to dine at home on this day, that being the first occasion of
his doing so for--as Mrs. Furnival declared--the last six months. In
truth, however, the interval had been long, though not so long as
that. He had a hope that having announced his intention, he might
find the coast clear and hear Martha Biggs spoken of as a dear
one lately gone. But when he arrived at home Martha Biggs was
still there. Under circumstances as they now existed Mrs. Furnival
had determined to keep Martha Biggs by her, unless any special
edict for her banishment should come forth. Then, in case of such
special edict, Martha Biggs should go, and thence should arise the
new casus belli. Mrs. Furnival had made up her mind that war was
expedient,--nay, absolutely necessary. She had an idea, formed no
doubt from the reading of history, that some allies require a smart
brush now and again to blow away the clouds of distrust which become
engendered by time between them; and that they may become better
allies than ever afterwards. If the appropriate time for such a brush
might ever come, it had come now. All the world,--so she said to
herself,--was talking of Mr. Furnival and Lady Mason. All the world
knew of her injuries.

Martha Biggs wa