ould serve him right. He's a disgrace to the name and
the family. From all I hear, he won't live long."

"Oh, de Courcy, don't talk of it in that way!"

"What way am I to talk of it? If I say that he's my greatest comfort,
and living as becomes a nobleman, and is a fine healthy man of his
age, with a good wife and a lot of legitimate children, will that
make you believe it? Women are such fools. Nothing that I say will
make him worse than he is."

"But he may reform."

"Reform! He's over forty, and when I last saw him he looked nearly
sixty. There;--you may answer his letter; I won't."

"And about the money?"

"Why doesn't he write to Gazebee about his dirty money? Why does he
trouble me? I haven't got his money. Ask Gazebee about his money. I
won't trouble myself about it." Then there was another pause, during
which the countess folded the letter, and put it in her pocket.

"How long is George going to remain here with that woman?" he asked.

"I'm sure she is very harmless," pleaded the countess.

"I always think when I see her that I'm sitting down to dinner with
my own housemaid. I never saw such a woman. How he can put up with
it! But I don't suppose he cares for anything."

"It has made him very steady."

"Steady!"

"And as she will be confined before long it may be as well that she
should remain here. If Porlock doesn't marry, you know--"

"And so he means to live here altogether, does he? I'll tell you what
it is,--I won't have it. He's better able to keep a house over his
own head and his wife's than I am to do it for them, and so you may
tell them. I won't have it. D'ye hear?" Then there was another short
pause. "D'ye hear?" he shouted at her.

"Yes; of course I hear. I was only thinking you wouldn't wish me to
turn them out, just as her confinement is coming on."

"I know what that means. Then they'd never go. I won't have it; and
if you don't tell them I will." In answer to this Lady de Courcy
promised that she would tell them, thinking perhaps that the earl's
mode of telling might not be beneficial in that particular epoch
which was now coming in the life of Mrs George.

"Did you know," said he, breaking out on a new subject, "that a man
had been here named Dale, calling on somebody in this house?" In
answer to which the countess acknowledged that she had known it.

"Then why did you keep it from me?" And that gnashing of the teeth
took place which was so specially objectionable to Mrs G