Bertram.

"Necessary--ah, yes: I dare say. I don't in the least mean to blame
you, George. I am sure you would not behave badly to any girl--and,
from what I have heard, I am quite sure--quite sure it was not your
fault. Indeed, I know very well--" and in lieu of finishing her
speech, Mrs. Wilkinson again nodded her head.

"Nobody was to blame, aunt; nobody, and it is much better to say
nothing about it."

"That is very good of you, George; very. But I always shall say--"

"Dear aunt, pray say nothing. We had thought when we knew little of
each other that it would suit us to live together. As we learnt each
other's characters more thoroughly, we found that we had been wrong.
It was better for us, therefore, to part; and we did part."

"And so now she is going to be Lady Harcourt?"

"Yes; it seems so."

"Well, at any rate, we must all say this: she hasn't lost any time. I
don't know what Sir Henry may think of it; but it certainly does seem
to me--"

"Dear aunt, pray do not talk to me about this. I think Miss
Waddington quite right to accept Sir Henry Harcourt. That is, I think
her right under the circumstances. He is a rising man, and she will
grace any station in which he can place her. I do not at all blame
her, not in the least; it would be monstrous if I did."

"Oh, of course--we all know that it was you broke off the other
match; all the world knows that. But what I want to speak about is
this. The old gentleman's money, George! Now Sir Henry of course is
looking to that."

"He has my permission."

"And of course he will get some of it. That's to be expected--she's
his grandchild--of course I know that," and Mrs. Wilkinson again
nodded her head. "But, George, you must look very close after the old
gentleman. It won't at all do to let Harcourt cut you out altogether.
I do hope you mean to be a good deal down at Hadley. It won't last
for long, you know."

Bertram would not condescend to explain to Mrs. Wilkinson that he had
no intention of going near his uncle again, and that he was sick of
the very name of the old man's money. So he hummed and hawed, and
changed the conversation by saying that he should be so glad to see
Arthur on his return.

"Yes, I am sure you will. But you'll find Arthur much changed--very
much." And it was clear from the tone of Mrs. Wilkinson's voice that
she did not think that this change in her son was for the better.

"He is growing older, I suppose; like the rest of us,"