uld be given! He would see the
Attorney-General, and ask the Attorney-General what he thought about
it. Now, it was supposed in legal circles, just at this period, that
the Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General were not the best
friends in the world; and the latter was wont to call the former an
old fogey, and the former to say of the latter that he might be a
very clever philosopher, but certainly no lawyer. And so by degrees
the thing got much talked about in the profession; and there was
perhaps a balance of opinion that the Solicitor-General had done
wrong.

But this was certain,--that no one could be put into possession of
the property till the court had decided to whom it belonged. If the
Earl withdrew from his claim, the widow would simply be called on to
prove her own marriage,--which had in truth been proved more than
once already,--and the right of her legitimate child would follow as
a matter of course. It was by no means probable that the woman over
in Italy would make any claim on her own behalf,--and even, should
she do so, she could not find the means of supporting it. "They must
be asses," said the Solicitor-General, "not to see that I am fighting
their battle for them, and that I am doing so because I can best
secure my own client's interests by securing theirs also." But even
he became nervous after a day or two, and was anxious to learn that
the marriage scheme was progressing. He told his client, Lord Lovel,
that it would be well that the marriage should take place before the
court sat in November. "In that case settlements will, of course,
have been made, and we shall simply withdraw. We shall state the fact
of this new marriage, and assert ourselves to be convinced that the
old marriage was good and valid. But you should lose no time in the
wooing, my lord." At this time the Earl had not seen his cousin, and
it had not yet been decided when they should meet.

"It is my duty to explain to you, Lady Lovel, as my client," said
Serjeant Bluestone to the Countess, "that this arrangement cannot
afford a satisfactory mode to you of establishing your own position."

"It would be so happy for the whole family!"

"As to that I can know nothing, Lady Lovel. If your daughter and the
Earl are attached to each other, there can be no reason on earth why
they should not be married. But it should be a separate thing. Your
position should not be made to depend upon hers."

"But they will withdraw, Serjean