Johnny's
visit, when told to him, had made some impression.

"At Guestwick Manor!" said Mrs Dale. "Dear me! Do you hear that,
Bell? There's promotion for Master Johnny!"

"Don't you remember, mamma," said Bell, "that he helped his lordship
in his trouble with the bull?"

Lily, who remembered accurately all the passages of her last
interview with John Eames, said nothing, but felt, in some sort, sore
at the idea that he should be so near her at such a time. In some
unconscious way she had liked him for coming to her and saying all
that he did say. She valued him more highly after that scene than
she did before. But now, she would feel herself injured and hurt if
he ever made his way into her presence under circumstances as they
existed.

"I should not have thought that Lord De Guest was the man to show so
much gratitude for so slight a favour," said the squire. "However,
I'm going to dine there to-morrow."

"To meet young Eames?" said Mrs Dale.

"Yes,--especially to meet young Eames. At least, I've been very
specially asked to come, and I've been told that he is to be there."

"And is Bernard going?"

"Indeed I'm not," said Bernard, "I shall come over and dine with
you."

A half-formed idea flitted across Lily's mind, teaching her to
imagine for a moment that she might possibly be concerned in this
arrangement. But the thought vanished as quickly as it came, merely
leaving some soreness behind it. There are certain maladies which
make the whole body sore. The patient, let him be touched on any
point,--let him even be nearly touched,--will roar with agony as
though his whole body had been bruised. So it is also with maladies
of the mind. Sorrows such as that of poor Lily leave the heart sore
at every point, and compel the sufferer to be ever in fear of new
wounds. Lily bore her cross bravely and well; but not the less did
it weigh heavily upon her at every turn because she had the strength
to walk as though she did not bear it. Nothing happened to her, or
in her presence, that did not in some way connect itself with her
misery. Her uncle was going over to meet John Eames at Lord De
Guest's. Of course the men there would talk about her, and all such
talking was an injury to her.

The afternoon of that day did not pass away brightly. As long as the
servants were in the room the dinner went on much as other dinners.
At such times a certain amount of hypocrisy must always be practised
in closely domestic circle