he had not
relished the manner in which the countess had explained to him her
views.

"I need not tell you, Adolphus," she had said, "how thoroughly
satisfied I am with this marriage. My dear girl feels that she can be
happy as your wife, and what more can I want? I declared to her and
to Amelia that I was not ambitious, for their sakes, and have allowed
them both to please themselves."

"I hope they have pleased themselves," said Crosbie.

"I trust so; but nevertheless,--I don't know whether I make myself
understood?"

"Quite so, Lady de Courcy. If Alexandrina were going to marry the
eldest son of a marquis, you would have a longer procession to church
than will be necessary when she marries me."

"You put it in such an odd way, Adolphus."

"It's all right so long as we understand each other. I can assure you
I don't want any procession at all. I should be quite contented to go
down with Alexandrina, arm in arm, like Darby and Joan, and let the
clerk give her away."

We may say that he would have been much better contented could he
have been allowed to go down the street without any encumbrance on
his arm. But there was no possibility now for such deliverance as
that.

Both Lady Amelia and Mr Gazebee had long since discovered the
bitterness of his heart and the fact of his repentance, and Gazebee
had ventured to suggest to his wife that his noble sister-in-law was
preparing for herself a life of misery.

"He'll become quiet and happy when he's used to it," Lady Amelia had
replied, thinking, perhaps, of her own experiences.

"I don't know, my dear; he's not a quiet man. There's something in
his eye which tells me that he could be very hard to a woman."

"It has gone too far now for any change," Lady Amelia had answered.

"Well; perhaps it has."

"And I know my sister so well; she would not hear of it. I really
think they will do very well when they become used to each other."

Mr Gazebee, who also had had his own experiences, hardly dared to
hope so much. His home had been satisfactory to him, because he had
been a calculating man, and having made his calculation correctly
was willing to take the net result. He had done so all his life with
success. In his house his wife was paramount,--as he very well knew.
But no effort on his wife's part, had she wished to make such effort,
could have forced him to spend more than two-thirds of his income.
Of this she also was aware, and had trimmed her sails acco