we would not see her. Of course she will not
care. Who is there that will care for me?"

"Do not I care for you, Hermione?"

"Yes, because you are here; because of the nearness of the houses. If
you lived far away you would not care for me. It is just the custom of
the thing." There was something so true in this that Mrs. Clavering
could make no answer to it. Then they turned to go back into the
sitting-room, and as they did so Lady Clavering lingered behind for a
moment; but when she was again with Mrs. Clavering her cheek was still
dry.

"He will be at the station at nine," said Lady Clavering. "They must
send the brougham for him, or the dog-cart. He will be very angry if he
is made to come home in the fly from the public-house." Then the elder
lady left the room and gave orders that Sir Hugh should be met by his
carriage. What must the wife think of her husband, when she feared that
he would be angered by little matters at such a time as this! "Do you
think it will make him very unhappy?" Lady Clavering asked.

"Of course it will make him unhappy. How should it be otherwise?"

"He had said so often that the child would die. He will have got used to
the fear."

"His grief will be as fresh now as though he had never thought so, and
never said so."

"He is so hard; and then he has such will, such power. He will thrust it
off from him and determine that it shall not oppress him. I know him so
well."

"We should all make some exertion like that in our sorrow, trusting to
God's kindness to relieve us. You too, Hermione, should determine also;
but not yet, my dear. At first it is better to let sorrow have its way."

"But he will determine at once. You remember when Meeny went." Meeny had
been a little girl who had been born before the boy, and who had died
when little more than twelve months old. "He did not expect that; but
then he only shook his head, and went out of the room. He has never
spoken to me one word of her since that. I think he has forgotten Meeny
altogether--even that she was ever here."

"He cannot forget the boy who was his heir."

"Ah, that is where it is. He will say words to me which would make you
weep if you could hear them. Yes, my darling was his heir. Archie will
marry now, and will have children, and his boy will be the heir. There
will be more division and more quarrels, for Hugh will hate his brother
now."

"I do not understand why."

"Because he is so hard. It is a pity he sho