iar in the matter,--something more than a
robbery. Various rumours were afloat. It had become widely known that
the diamonds were to be the subject of litigation between the young
widow and the trustees of the Eustace estate; and it was known also
that Lord Fawn had engaged himself to marry the widow, and had then
retreated from his engagement simply on account of this litigation.
There were strong parties formed in the matter,--whom we may call
Lizzieites and anti-Lizzieites. The Lizzieites were of opinion that
poor Lady Eustace was being very ill-treated;--that the diamonds did
probably belong to her, and that Lord Fawn, at any rate, clearly
ought to be her own. It was worthy of remark that these Lizzieites
were all of them Conservatives. Frank Greystock had probably set the
party on foot;--and it was natural that political opponents should
believe that a noble young Under-Secretary of State on the Liberal
side,--such as Lord Fawn,--had misbehaved himself. When the matter at
last became of such importance as to demand leading articles in the
newspapers, those journals which had devoted themselves to upholding
the Conservative politicians of the day were very heavy indeed
upon Lord Fawn. The whole force of the Government, however, was
anti-Lizzieite; and as the controversy advanced, every good Liberal
became aware that there was nothing so wicked, so rapacious, so bold,
or so cunning but that Lady Eustace might have done it, or caused it
to be done, without delay, without difficulty, and without scruple.
Lady Glencora Palliser for a while endeavoured to defend Lizzie in
Liberal circles,--from generosity rather than from any real belief,
and instigated, perhaps, by a feeling that any woman in society who
was capable of doing anything extraordinary ought to be defended.
But even Lady Glencora was forced to abandon her generosity, and to
confess, on behalf of her party, that Lizzie Eustace was--a very
wicked young woman, indeed. All this, no doubt, grew out of the
diamonds, and chiefly arose from the robbery; but there had been
enough of notoriety attached to Lizzie before the affair at Carlisle
to make people fancy that they had understood her character long
before that.

The party assembled at Matching Priory, a country house belonging
to Mr. Palliser, in which Lady Glencora took much delight, was not
large, because Mr. Palliser's uncle, the Duke of Omnium, who was
with them, was now a very old man, and one who did not