two years--continuing to do his ushering for her sake. What
did it matter to a man who must, under any circumstances, be permanently
miserable?

Sir Hugh was not yet at Clavering. He was to come with Lord Ongar on the
eve of the partridge-shooting. The two sisters, therefore, had the house
all to themselves. At about twelve they sat down to breakfast together
in a little upstairs chamber adjoining Lady Clavering's own room, Julia
Brabazon at that time having her lover's generous letter in her pocket.
She knew that it was as improper as it was generous, and that, moreover,
it was very dangerous. There was no knowing what might be the result of
such a letter should Lord Ongar even know that she had received it. She
was not absolutely angry with Harry, but had, to herself, twenty times
called him a foolish, indiscreet, dear, generous boy. But what was she
to do with the check? As to that, she had hardly as yet made up her mind
when she joined her sister on the morning in question. Even to Hermione
she did not dare to tell the fact that such a letter had been received
by her.

But in truth her debts were a great torment to her; and yet how trifling
they were when compared with the wealth of the man who was to become her
husband in six weeks! Let her marry him, and not pay them, and he
probably would never be the wiser. They would get themselves paid almost
without his knowledge, perhaps altogether without his hearing of them.
But yet she feared him, knowing him to be greedy about money; and, to
give her such merit as was due to her, she felt the meanness of going to
her husband with debts on her shoulder. She had five thousand pounds of
her own; but the very settlement which gave her a noble dower, and which
made the marriage so brilliant, made over this small sum in its entirety
to her lord. She had been wrong not to tell the lawyer of her trouble
when he had brought the paper for her to sign; but she had not told him.
If Sir Hugh Clavering had been her own brother there would have been no
difficulty, but he was only her brother-in-law, and she feared to speak
to him. Her sister, however, knew that there were debts, and on that
subject she was not afraid to speak to Hermione.

"Hermy," said she, "what am I to do about this money that I owe? I got a
bill from Colclugh's this morning."

"Just because he knows you're going to be married; that's all."

"But how am I to pay him?"

"Take no notice of it till next spring. I