at she was second-rate and unattractive. In the first place, he had
his own ideas about Littlebath, and conceived that it was not the
place in which the highest beauty of England should be looked for;
and in the next place, he knew George Bertram, and regarded him as a
man peculiarly liable to such dangers as these.

"You must come down with me to Littlebath. When will you give me a
day?"

Harcourt demurred, as he did not wish to be called on imperiously to
praise a woman of whom he knew he should disapprove, and endeavoured
to excuse himself from the journey. But Bertram persisted, and at
last it was settled that he would go down.

This did not happen till towards the end of winter. Miss Baker had,
as she promised, seen Mr. Bertram in the meantime, and the answer
returned from the Hadley oracle had, like most oracle-answers, been
neither favourable nor unfavourable. Mr. Bertram had expressed no
great anger at the tale of love that was told him; but neither had
he expressed any gratification. "Well," he had said, "it is odd that
they should have come together; very odd. He is a clever young man,
and I dare say may do well." Miss Baker had then ventured, but in a
very modest way, to ask him his opinion as to the sufficiency of the
young people's income. "They must judge of that themselves," he had
said, rather sharply. "But I suppose they have no idea of marrying as
yet. They mean to wait, don't they, till he begins his profession?"
To this Miss Baker had made no answer, and nothing further had been
said at that meeting.

Early in March, Miss Baker had again seen the great man. She had then
ventured to explain to him that George was working very hard.

"Ah! you have his word for that, I suppose," said the uncle; "but if
so, believe me he will get on at such work as that quicker without a
wife than he will with one."

But at this interview Miss Baker did ask him plainly, as had been
agreed beforehand between her and her niece that she should do,
whether he would on their marriage make any increase to his
granddaughter's fortune.

"She has a liberal, ladylike provision," said he.

"But they will not have enough to live on," said Miss Baker.

"They will have a third more, Mary, than I had when I married your
aunt. And yet I saved money on my income."

"But remember how they have been brought up, sir."

"If they will be fine ladies and gentlemen, they must take the
penalties of being so. Fine ladies and gentlem