may be that she's right," he said to himself;
"and, at any rate, I'll ask again." Nevertheless, that "No" which
Bell had spoken, and had repeated, still sounded in his ears harsh
and conclusive. There are men to whom a peal of noes rattling about
their ears never takes the sound of a true denial, and others to whom
the word once pronounced, be it whispered ever so softly, comes as
though it were an unchangeable verdict from the supreme
judgment-seat.

CHAPTER XLIII

Fie, Fie!

Will any reader remember the loves,--no, not the loves; that word
is so decidedly ill-applied as to be incapable of awakening the
remembrance of any reader; but the flirtations--of Lady Dumbello and
Mr Plantagenet Palliser? Those flirtations, as they had been carried
on at Courcy Castle, were laid bare in all their enormities to the
eye of the public, and it must be confessed that if the eye of the
public was shocked, that eye must be shocked very easily.

But the eye of the public was shocked, and people who were particular
as to their morals said very strange things. Lady de Courcy herself
said very strange things indeed, shaking her head, and dropping
mysterious words; whereas Lady Clandidlem spoke much more openly,
declaring her opinion that Lady Dumbello would be off before May.
They both agreed that it would not be altogether bad for Lord
Dumbello that he should lose his wife, but shook their heads very
sadly when they spoke of poor Plantagenet Palliser. As to the lady's
fate, that lady whom they had both almost worshipped during the days
at Courcy Castle,--they did not seem to trouble themselves about
that.

And it must be admitted that Mr Palliser had been a little
imprudent,--imprudent, that is, if he knew anything about the rumours
afloat,--seeing that soon after his visit at Courcy Castle he had
gone down to Lady Hartletop's place in Shropshire, at which the
Dumbellos intended to spend the winter, and on leaving it had
expressed his intention of returning in February. The Hartletop
people had pressed him very much,--the pressure having come with
peculiar force from Lord Dumbello. Therefore it is reasonable to
suppose that the Hartletop people had at any rate not heard of the
rumour.

Mr Plantagenet Palliser spent his Christmas with his uncle, the Duke
of Omnium, at Gatherum Castle. That is to say, he reached the castle
in time for dinner on Christmas eve, and left it on the morning after
Christmas day. This was in acc