r and
her mother know better than she could know? When she found that the
man was made welcome both in town and country, was it not natural
that she should suppose that there were no stronger reasons? All this
Sir Harry felt, and blamed himself and determined that though he must
oppose his daughter and make her understand that the hope of such a
marriage must be absolutely abandoned, it would be his duty to be
very tender with her. He had sinned against her already, in that he
had vacillated and had allowed that handsome but vile and worthless
cousin to come near her.

In his conduct to his daughter, Sir Harry endeavoured to be just,
and tender, and affectionate; but in his conduct to his wife on
the occasion he allowed himself some scope for the ill-humour not
unnaturally incident to his misfortune. "Why on earth you should
have had him in Bruton Street when you knew very well what he was, I
cannot conceive," said Sir Harry.

"But I didn't know," said Lady Elizabeth, fearing to remind her
husband that he also had sanctioned the coming of the cousin.

"I had told you. It was there that the evil was done. And then to let
them go to that picnic together!"

"What could I do when Mrs. Fitzpatrick asked to be taken? You
wouldn't have had me tell Emily that she should not be one of the
party."

"I would have put it off till he was out of the house."

"But the Fitzpatricks were going too," pleaded the poor woman.

"It wouldn't have happened at all if you had not asked him to stay
till the Monday," said Sir Harry; and to this charge Lady Elizabeth
knew that there was no answer. There she had clearly disobeyed her
husband; and though she doubtless suffered much from some dim idea of
injustice, she was aware that as she had so offended she must submit
to be told that all this evil had come from her wrong-doing.

"I hope she will not be obstinate," said Sir Harry to his wife.
Lady Elizabeth, though she was not an acute judge of character, did
know her own daughter, and was afraid to say that Emily would not
be obstinate. She had the strongest possible respect as well as
affection for her own child; she thoroughly believed in Emily--much
more thoroughly than she did in herself. But she could not say that
in such a matter Emily would not be obstinate. Lady Elizabeth was
very intimately connected with two obstinate persons, one of whom was
young and the other old; and she thought that perhaps the younger was
the more obsti