tually sad. The
greater part of the morning Mrs. Clavering passed with the widow, and,
sitting near her sofa, she wrote sundry letters to those who were
connected with the family. The longest of these was to Lady Ongar, who
was now at Tenby, and in that there was a pressing request from Hermione
that her sister would come to her at Clavering Park: "Tell her," said
Lady Clavering, "that all her anger must be over now." But Mrs.
Clavering said nothing of Julia's anger. She merely urged the request
that Julia would come to her sister. "She will be sure to come," said
Mrs. Clavering. "You need have no fear on that head."

"But how can I invite her here, when the house is not my own?"

"Pray do not talk in that way, Hermione. The house will be your own for
any time that you may want it. Your husband's relations are your dear
friends, are they not?" But this allusion to her husband brought her to
another fit of hysterical tears. "Both of them gone," she said, "both of
them gone!" Mrs. Clavering knew well that she was not alluding to the
two brothers, but to her husband and her baby. Of poor Archie no one had
said a word--beyond that one word spoken by the housekeeper. For her, it
had been necessary that she should know who was now the master of
Clavering Park.

Twice in the day Mrs. Clavering went over to the big house, and on her
second return, late in the evening, she found her son. When she arrived,
there had already been some few words on the subject between him and his
father.

"You have heard of it, Harry?"

"Yes; a clerk came to me from the banker's."

"Dreadful, is it not? Quite terrible to think of!"

"Indeed it is, sir. I was never so shocked in my life."

"He would go in that cursed boat, though I know that he was advised
against it," said the father, holding up his hands and shaking his head.
"And now both of them gone--both gone at once!"

"How does she bear it?"

"Your mother is with her now. When I went in the morning--I had written
a line, and she expected bad news--she fainted. Of course, I could do
nothing. I can hardly say that I told her. She asked the question, and
then saw by my face that her fears were well founded. Upon my word, I
was glad when she did faint; it was the best thing for her."

"It must have been very painful for you."

"Terrible--terrible;" and the rector shook his head. "It will make a
great difference in your prospects, Harry."

"And in your life, sir! So to say, you ar