peculiar gift, she had soon understood, in
the midst of her sufferings, that her necklace had been taken by
thieves whose robbery might assist her for a while in keeping her
secret, rather than lead to the immediate divulging of it. Neither
Camperdown nor Bunfit had been at work among the boxes. Her secret
had been discovered, no doubt, by Patience Crabstick, and the
diamonds were gone. But money also was taken, and the world need not
know that the diamonds had been there. But Lord George knew. And then
there arose to her that question: Had the diamonds been taken in
consequence of that revelation to Lord George? It was not surprising
that in the midst of all this Lizzie should be really ill.

She was most anxious to see Lord George; but, if what Mrs. Carbuncle
said to her was true, Lord George refused to see her. She did
not believe Mrs. Carbuncle, and was, therefore, quite in the
dark about her Corsair. As she could only communicate with him
through Mrs. Carbuncle, it might well be the case that he should
have been told that he could not have access to her. Of course
there were difficulties. That her cousin Frank should see her
in her bedroom,--her cousin Frank, with whom it was essentially
necessary that she should hold counsel as to her present great
difficulties,--was a matter of course. There was no hesitation about
that. A fresh nightcap, and a clean pocket-handkerchief with a bit of
lace round it, and, perhaps, some pretty covering to her shoulders if
she were to be required to sit up in bed, and the thing was arranged.
He might have spent the best part of his days in her bedroom if he
could have spared the time. But the Corsair was not a cousin,--nor
as yet an acknowledged lover. There was difficulty even in framing a
reason for her request, when she made it to Mrs. Carbuncle; and the
very reason which she gave was handed back to her as the Corsair's
reason for not coming to her. She desired to see him because he had
been so much mixed up in the matter of these terrible robberies. But
Mrs. Carbuncle declared to her that Lord George would not come to her
because his name had been so frequently mentioned in connexion with
the diamonds. "You see, my dear," said Mrs. Carbuncle, "there can be
no real reason for his seeing you up in your bedroom. If there had
been anything between you, as I once thought there would--" There
was something in the tone of Mrs. Carbuncle's voice which grated on
Lizzie's ear,--something