d so very boldly. "I see what it is,"
replied Sir Griffin; "you always like the people I don't." When he
was going, Lizzie left her hand in his for a moment, and gave one
look up into his eyes. "When is Lucy to be made blessed?" she asked.
"I don't know that Lucy will ever be made blessed," he replied, "but
I am sure I hope she will." Not a word more was said, and he returned
to London.

After that Mrs. Carbuncle and Lucinda remained at Portray Castle till
after Christmas, greatly overstaying the original time fixed for
their visit. Lord George and Sir Griffin went and returned, and went
again and returned again. There was much hunting and a great many
love passages, which need not be recorded here. More than once during
these six or seven weeks there arose a quarrel, bitter, loud, and
pronounced, between Sir Griffin and Lucinda; but Lord George and Mrs.
Carbuncle between them managed to throw oil upon the waters, and when
Christmas came the engagement was still an engagement. The absolute
suggestion that it should be broken, and abandoned, and thrown to the
winds, always came from Lucinda; and Sir Griffin, when he found that
Lucinda was in earnest, would again be moved by his old desires,
and would determine that he would have the thing he wanted. Once he
behaved with such coarse brutality that nothing but an abject apology
would serve the turn. He made the abject apology, and after that
became conscious that his wings were clipped, and that he must do as
he was bidden. Lord George took him away, and brought him back again,
and blew him up;--and at last, under pressure from Mrs. Carbuncle,
made him consent to the fixing of a day. The marriage was to take
place during the first week in April. When the party moved from
Portray, he was to go up to London and see his lawyer. Settlements
were to be arranged, and something was to be fixed as to future
residence.

In the midst of all this Lucinda was passive as regarded the making
of the arrangements, but very troublesome to those around her as to
her immediate mode of life. Even to Lady Eustace she was curt and
uncivil. To her aunt she was at times ferocious. She told Lord George
more than once to his face that he was hurrying her to perdition.
"What the d---- is it you want?" Lord George said to her. "Not to be
married to this man." "But you have accepted him. I didn't ask you to
take him. You don't want to go into a workhouse, I suppose?" Then she
rode so hard that all