cursing at the dear girl, just as we
are all starting from Southampton!" Sir Marmaduke knew as well as his
wife that it would be impossible, and only muttered something about
the "dear girl" behaving herself with great impropriety.

They were all aware that Nora was not going to leave England, because
no berth had been taken for her on board the ship, and because, while
the other girls were preparing for their long voyage, no preparations
were made for her. Of course she was not going. Sir Marmaduke would
probably have given way altogether immediately on his return to
London, had he not discussed the matter with his friend Colonel
Osborne. It became, of course, his duty to make some inquiry as
to the Stanbury family, and he knew that Osborne had visited Mrs.
Stanbury when he made his unfortunate pilgrimage to the porch of
Cockchaffington Church. He told Osborne the whole story of Nora's
engagement, telling also that other most heart-breaking tale of
her conduct in regard to Mr. Glascock, and asked the Colonel what
he thought about the Stanburys. Now the Colonel did not hold the
Stanburys in high esteem. He had met Hugh, as the reader may perhaps
remember, and had had some intercourse with the young man, which
had not been quite agreeable to him, on the platform of the railway
station at Exeter. And he had also heard something of the ladies
at Nuncombe Putney during his short sojourn at the house of Mrs.
Crocket. "My belief is, they are beggars," said Colonel Osborne.

"I suppose so," said Sir Marmaduke, shaking his head.

"When I went over to call on Emily,--that time I was at
Cockchaffington, you know, when Trevelyan made himself such a d----
fool,--I found the mother and sister living in a decentish house
enough; but it wasn't their house."

"Not their own, you mean?"

"It was a place that Trevelyan had got this young man to take for
Emily, and they had merely gone there to be with her. They had been
living in a little bit of a cottage; a sort of a place that any--any
ploughman would live in. Just that kind of cottage."

"Goodness gracious!"

"And they've gone to another just like it;--so I'm told."

"And can't he do anything better for them than that?" asked Sir
Marmaduke.

"I know nothing about him. I have met him, you know. He used to be
with Trevelyan;--that was when Nora took a fancy for him, of course.
And I saw him once down in Devonshire, when I must say he behaved
uncommonly badly,--doing all he