as to her future life; nor was there anything to indicate
whither he was going. Stanbury, however, had learned from the
faithless and frightened Bozzle that Trevelyan's letters were to be
sent after him to Florence. Mr. Bozzle, in giving this information,
had acknowledged that his employer was "becoming no longer quite
himself under his troubles," and had expressed his opinion that he
ought to be "looked after." Bozzle had made his money; and now,
with a grain of humanity mixed with many grains of faithlessness,
reconciled it to himself to tell his master's secrets to his master's
enemies. What would a counsel be able to say about his conduct
in a court of law? That was the question which Bozzle was always
asking himself as to his own business. That he should be abused
by a barrister to a jury, and exposed as a spy and a fiend, was,
he thought, a matter of course. To be so abused was a part of his
profession. But it was expedient for him in all cases to secure some
loop-hole of apparent duty by which he might in part escape from such
censures. He was untrue to his employer now, because he thought that
his employer ought to be "looked after." He did, no doubt, take a
five-pound note from Hugh Stanbury; but then it was necessary that
he should live. He must be paid for his time. In this way Trevelyan
started for Florence, and within a week afterwards the Rowleys were
upon his track.

Nothing had been said by Sir Marmaduke to Nora as to her lover since
that stormy interview in which both father and daughter had expressed
their opinions very strongly, and very little had been said by Lady
Rowley. Lady Rowley had spoken more than once of Nora's return to
the Mandarins, and had once alluded to it as a certainty. "But I do
not know that I shall go back," Nora had said. "My dear," the mother
had replied, "unless you are married, I suppose your home must be
with your parents." Nora, having made her protest, did not think it
necessary to persevere, and so the matter was dropped. It was known,
however, that they must all come back to London before they started
for their seat of government, and therefore the subject did not at
present assume its difficult aspect. There was a tacit understanding
among them that everything should be done to make the journey
pleasant to the young mother who was in search of her son; and, in
addition to this, Lady Rowley had her own little understanding, which
was very tacit indeed, that in Mr. Glasc