eet, and, as Lizzie afterwards understood, there
was a terrible scene between both him and Lucinda and him and Mrs.
Carbuncle. She saw nothing of it herself, but Mrs. Carbuncle brought
her the tidings. For the last few days Mrs. Carbuncle had been very
affectionate in her manner to Lizzie, thereby showing a great change;
for during nearly the whole of February the lady, who in fact owned
the house, had hardly been courteous to her remunerative guest,
expressing more than once a hint that the arrangement which had
brought them together had better come to an end. "You see, Lady
Eustace," Mrs. Carbuncle had once said, "the trouble about these
robberies is almost too much for me." Lizzie, who was ill at the
time, and still trembling with constant fear on account of the lost
diamonds, had taken advantage of her sick condition, and declined
to argue the question of her removal. Now she was supposed to be
convalescent, but Mrs. Carbuncle had returned to her former ways of
affection. No doubt there was cause for this,--cause that was patent
to Lizzie herself. Lady Glencora Palliser had called,--which thing
alone was felt by Lizzie to alter her position altogether. And then,
though her diamonds were gone, and though the thieves who had stolen
them were undoubtedly aware of her secret as to the first robbery,
though she had herself told that secret to Lord George, whom she had
not seen since she had done so,--in spite of all these causes for
trouble, she had of late gradually found herself to be emerging
from the state of despondency into which she had fallen while the
diamonds were in her own custody. She knew that she was regaining
her ascendancy; and, therefore, when Mrs. Carbuncle came to tell her
of the grievous things which had been said down-stairs between Sir
Griffin and his mistress, and to consult her as to the future, Lizzie
was not surprised. "I suppose the meaning of it is that the match
must be off," said Lizzie.

"Oh dear, no;--pray don't say anything so horrid after all that I
have gone through. Don't suggest anything of that kind to Lucinda."

"But surely after what you've told me now, he'll never come here
again."

"Oh yes, he will. There's no danger about his coming back. It's only
a sort of a way he has."

"A very disagreeable way," said Lizzie.

"No doubt, Lady Eustace. But then you know you can't have it all
sweet. There must be some things disagreeable. As far as I can
learn, the property will be all