ut her and
filling her mind, if not her heart, with the glories of luxurious
primogeniture. Hugh Stanbury certainly did not dream that any
special elder son had as yet been so attracted as to have made a
journey to Nuncombe Putney on Nora's behalf. But should he on this
account,--because she would be, as it were, without means of defence
from his attack,--should he therefore take advantage of her weakness?
She would, of course, go back to her London life after some short
absence, and would again, if free, have her chance among the favoured
ones of the earth. What had he to offer to her? He had taken the
Clock House for his mother, and it would be quite as much as he could
do, when Mrs. Trevelyan should have left the village, to keep up that
establishment and maintain himself in London,--quite as much as he
could do, even though the favours of the "D. R." should flow upon
him with their fullest tides. In such circumstances, would it be
honourable in him to ask a girl to love him because he found her
defenceless in his mother's house?

"If there bain't another for Nuncombe," said Mrs. Clegg's Ostler to
Mrs. Clegg's Boots, as Stanbury was driven off in a gig.

"That be young Stanbury, a-going of whome."

"They be all a-going for the Clock House. Since the old 'ooman took
to thick there house, there be folk a-comin' and a-goin' every day
loike."

"It's along of the madam that they keeps there, Dick," said the
Boots.

"I didn't care if there'd be madams allays. They're the best as is
going for trade anyhow," said the ostler. What the ostler said was
true. When there comes to be a feeling that a woman's character is in
any way tarnished, there comes another feeling that everybody on the
one side may charge double, and that everybody on the other side must
pay double, for everything. Hugh Stanbury could not understand why he
was charged a shilling a mile, instead of ninepence, for the gig to
Nuncombe Putney. He got no satisfactory answer, and had to pay the
shilling. The truth was, that gigs to Nuncombe Putney had gone up,
since a lady, separated from her husband, with a colonel running
after her, had been taken in at the Clock House.

"Here's Hugh!" said Priscilla, hurrying to the front door. And Mrs.
Stanbury hurried after her. Her son Hugh was the apple of her eye,
the best son that ever lived, generous, noble, a thorough
man,--almost a god!

"Dear, dear, oh dear! Who'd have expected it? God bless you, my boy!
Wh