be the result of
such a marriage, she did feel that, even for his sake, she must be
doing a good thing to bring them together! Something, though not much
of all this, she had been obliged to explain to Sir Marmaduke;--and
yet he had not taken the trouble to inquire whether Mr. Glascock was
in Florence!

On the third day after their arrival, the wife of the British
minister came to call upon Lady Rowley, and the wife of the British
minister was good-natured, easy-mannered, and very much given to
conversation. She preferred talking to listening, and in the course
of a quarter of an hour had told Lady Rowley a good deal about
Florence; but she had not mentioned Mr. Glascock's name. It would
have been so pleasant if the requisite information could have been
obtained without the asking of any direct question on the subject!
But Lady Rowley, who from many years' practice of similar, though
perhaps less distinguished, courtesies on her part, knew well the
first symptom of the coming end of her guest's visit, found that the
minister's wife was about to take her departure without an allusion
to Mr. Glascock. And yet the names had been mentioned of so many
English residents in Florence, who neither in wealth, rank, or
virtue, were competent to hold a candle to that phoenix! She was
forced, therefore, to pluck up courage, and to ask the question.
"Have you had a Mr. Glascock here this spring?" said Lady Rowley.

"What;--Lord Peterborough's son? Oh, dear, yes. Such a singular
being!"

Lady Rowley thought that she could perceive that her phoenix had
not made himself agreeable at the embassy. It might perhaps be that
he had buried himself away from society because of his love. "And is
here now?" asked Lady Rowley.

"I cannot say at all. He is sometimes here and sometimes with his
father at Naples. But when here, he lives chiefly with the Americans.
They say he is going to marry an American girl,--their minister's
niece. There are three of them, I think, and he is to take the
eldest." Lady Rowley asked no more questions, and let her august
visitor go, almost without another word.

CHAPTER LXXVI.

"WE SHALL BE SO POOR."

Mr. Glascock at that moment was not only in Florence, but was
occupying rooms in the very hotel in which the Rowleys were staying.
Lady Rowley, when she heard that he was engaged to marry an American
lady, became suddenly very sick at heart,--sick with a sickness
that almost went beyond her heart. S