post between this and Monday." said Cecilia
temporizing.

"Send her a message by the wires."

"You cannot explain this by a telegram, Theodore. Besides, why should
she not come? Her coming can do no harm. If you were to tell your mother
now of all this, it would prevent the possibility of things ever being
right."

"Things--that is, this thing, never will be right," said he.

"But let us see. She will be here on Monday, and if you think it best
you can tell her everything. Indeed, she must be told when she is here,
for I could not keep it from her. I could not smile and talk to her
about him and make her think that it is all right."

"Not you! I should be very sorry if you could."

"But I think I could make her understand that she should not decide upon
breaking with him altogether."

"And I think I could make her understand that she ought to do so."

"But you wouldn't do that, Theodore?"

"I would if I thought it my duty."

"But at any rate, she must come, and we can talk of that tomorrow."

As to Florence's coming, Burton had given way, beaten, apparently, by
that argument about the post. On the Sunday very little was said about
Harry Clavering. Cecilia studiously avoided the subject, and Burton had
not so far decided on dropping Harry altogether as to make him anxious
to express any such decision. After all, such dropping or not dropping
must be the work of Florence herself. On the Monday morning Cecilia had
a further triumph. On that day her husband was very fully
engaged--having to meet a synod of contractors, surveyors and engineers,
to discuss which of the remaining thoroughfares of London should not be
knocked down by the coming railways--and he could not absent himself
from the Adelphi. It was, therefore, arranged that Mrs. Burton should go
to the Paddington Station to meet her sister-in-law. She therefore would
have the first word with Florence, and the earliest opportunity of
impressing the new-comer with her own ideas. "Of course, you must say
something to her of this man," said her husband, "but the less you say
the better. After all, she must be left to judge for herself." In all
matters such as this--in all affairs of tact, of social intercourse, and
of conduct between man and man, or man and woman, Mr. Burton was apt to
be eloquent in his domestic discussion, and sometimes almost severe; but
the final arrangement of them was generally left to his wife. He
enunciated principles of strategy--