have made a match with his
cousin," said the dean.

"Of course;--so did everybody," replied Mrs. Dean.

Then Frank came among them. He had intended staying some
weeks,--perhaps for a month, and great preparations were made for
him; but immediately on his arrival he announced the necessity that
was incumbent on him of going down again to Scotland in ten days.
"You've heard about Lizzie, of course?" he said. They had heard
that Lizzie was to become Lady Fawn, but beyond that they had heard
nothing. "You know about the necklace?" asked Frank. Something of a
tale of a necklace had made its way even down to quiet Bobsborough.
They had been informed that there was a dispute between the widow and
the executors of the late Sir Florian about some diamonds. "Lord Fawn
is behaving about it in the most atrocious manner," continued Frank,
"and the long and the short of it is that there will be no marriage!"

"No marriage!" exclaimed Mrs. Greystock.

"And what is the truth about the diamonds?" asked the dean.

"Ah;--it will give the lawyers a job before they decide that. They're
very valuable;--worth about ten thousand pounds, I'm told; but the
most of it will go among some of my friends at the Chancery bar. It's
a pity that I should be out of the scramble myself."

"But why should you be out?" asked his mother with tender
regrets,--not thinking of the matter as her son was thinking of it,
but feeling that when there was so much wealth so very near him, he
ought not to let it all go past him.

"As far as I can see," continued Frank, "she has a fair claim to
them. I suppose they'll file a bill in Chancery, and then it will
be out of my line altogether. She says her husband gave them to
her,--absolutely put them on her neck himself, and told her that
they were hers. As to their being an heirloom, that turns out to be
impossible. I didn't know it, but it seems you can't make diamonds
an heirloom. What astonishes me is, that Fawn should object to the
necklace. However, he has objected, and has simply told her that he
won't marry her unless she gives them up."

"And what does she say?"

"Storms and raves,--as of course any woman would. I don't think she
is behaving badly. What she wants is, to reduce him to obedience, and
then to dismiss him. I think that is no more than fair. Nothing on
earth would make her marry him now."

"Did she ever care for him?"

"I don't think she ever did. She found her position to be
troublesome,