f her husband. Miss Baker,
therefore, was obliged to write by the first post, asking for a day's
delay before she sent her final answer. But on the next morning a
letter reached the old gentleman himself, from Sir Henry. Sir Henry
suggested that the loving grandchild should take the occasion of the
season being so nearly over to pay a much-desired visit to her loving
grandsire. He did not drop the quarrel altogether; but just alluded
to it as a passing cloud--an unfortunate cloud certainly, but one
that, without doubt, would soon pass away, and leave the horizon more
bright than ever.

The matter was at last arranged by Mr. Bertram giving the desired
permission. He took no notice himself of Sir Henry's letter, but
desired his niece to tell Caroline that she might come there if she
liked. So Caroline did come; and Sir Henry gave it out that the
London season had been too much for her, and that she, to her deep
regret, had been forced to leave town before it was over.

"Sir Omicron was quite imperative," said Sir Henry, speaking
confidentially to his intimate parliamentary friend Mr. Madden;
"and as she was to go, it was as well to do the civil to grandpapa
Croesus. I have no time myself; so I must do it by deputy."

Now Sir Omicron in those days was a great physician.

And so Caroline returned to Hadley; but no bells rang now to
greet her coming. Little more than six months had passed since
those breakfast speeches had been spoken, in which so much golden
prosperity had been promised to bride and bridegroom; and now that
vision of gold was at an end; that solid, substantial prosperity had
melted away. The bridal dresses of the maids had hardly lost their
gloss, and yet all that well-grounded happiness was gone.

"So, you are come back," said Mr. Bertram.

"Yes, sir," said Caroline, in a low voice. "I have made a mistake in
life, and I must hope that you will forgive me."

"Such mistakes are very foolish. The sooner you unmake it the
better."

"There will be no unmaking this mistake, sir, never--never--never.
But I blame no one but myself."

"Nonsense! you will of course go back to your husband."

"Never, Mr. Bertram--never! I will obey him, or you, or both, if that
be possible, in all things but in that. But in that I can obey no
one."

"Psha!" said Mr. Bertram. Such was Lady Harcourt's first greeting on
her return to Hadley.

Neither Miss Baker nor Adela said much to her on the matter on the
first day o