al than that Alice should go to
Switzerland with her cousins; but Lady Macleod was clearly not of
this opinion; she looked very grim as she made this allusion to
cousin George, and seemed to be preparing herself for a fight.

"That is exactly what I say," answered Alice. "But, indeed, he is
simply going as an escort to me and Kate, as we don't like the role
of unprotected females. It is very good-natured of him, seeing how
much his time is taken up."

"I thought he never did anything."

"That's because you don't know him, aunt."

"No; certainly I don't know him." She did not add that she had no
wish to know Mr George Vavasor, but she looked it. "And has your
father been told that he is going?"

"Of course he has."

"And does--" Lady Macleod hesitated a little before she went on, and
then finished her question with a little spasmodic assumption of
courage. "And does Mr Grey know that he is going?"

Alice remained silent for a full minute before she answered this
question, during which Lady Macleod sat watching her grimly, with her
eyes very intent upon her niece's face. If she supposed such silence
to have been in any degree produced by shame in answering the
question, she was much mistaken. But it may be doubted whether she
understood the character of the girl whom she thought she knew so
well, and it is probable that she did make such mistake.

"I might tell you simply that he does," said Alice at last, "seeing
that I wrote to him yesterday, letting him know that such were our
arrangements; but I feel that I should not thus answer the question
you mean to ask. You want to know whether Mr Grey will approve of it.
As I only wrote yesterday of course I have not heard, and therefore
cannot say. But I can say this, aunt, that much as I might regret his
disapproval, it would make no change in my plans."

"Would it not? Then I must tell you, you are very wrong. It ought
to make a change. What! the disapproval of the man you are going to
marry make no change in your plans?"

"Not in that matter. Come, aunt, if we must discuss this matter let
us do it at any rate fairly. In an ordinary way, if Mr Grey had asked
me to give up for any reason my trip altogether, I should have given
it up certainly, as I would give up any other indifferent project at
the request of so dear a friend,--a friend with whom I am so--so--so
closely connected. But if he asked me not to travel with my cousin
George, I should refuse him absolut