rm her, that they were but two old friends talking of the
past. And so it was; but there was a something forlorn in sitting by at
a distance, out of it all, and knowing that it was to go on and last,
alas! by her own doing, who could tell how many evenings, how many long
hours to come!

CHAPTER XXX.

DIFFERENT VIEWS.

The time after this seemed to fly in the great quiet, all the
entertainments of the Christmas season being over, and the houses in the
neighbourhood gradually emptying of guests. The only visitors at the
Hall were the clergyman, the doctor, an odd man now and then whom Sir
Tom would invite in the character of a "native," for the Contessa's
amusement; and Mr. Rushton, who came from Farafield two or three times
on business, at first with a very keen curiosity, to know how it was
that Lucy had subdued her husband and got him to relinquish his
objection to her alienation of her money. This had puzzled the lawyer
very greatly. There had been no uncertainty about Sir Tom's opinion when
the subject was mooted to him first. He had looked upon it with very
proper sentiments. It had seemed to him ridiculous, incredible, that
Lucy should set up her will against his, or take her own way, when she
knew how he regarded the matter. He had told the lawyer that he had
little doubt of being able to bring her to hear reason. And then he had
written to say that he withdrew his objection! Mr. Rushton felt that
there must be some reason here more than met the eye. He made a pretence
of business that he might discover what it was, and he had done so
triumphantly, as he thought. Sir Tom, as everybody knew, had been "a
rover" in his youth, and the world was charitable enough to conclude
that in that youth there must be many things which he would not care to
expose to the eye of day. When Mr. Rushton beheld at luncheon the
Contessa, followed by the young and slim figure of Bice, it seemed to
him that everything was solved. And Lady Randolph, he thought, did not
look with very favourable eyes upon the younger lady. What doubt that
Sir Tom had bought the assent of his wife to the presence of the guests
by giving up on his side some of his reasonable rights?

"Did you ever hear of an Italian lady that Sir Tom was thick with before
he married?" he asked his wife when he came home.

"How can you ask me such a question," said that virtuous woman, "when
you know as well as I do that there were half-a-dozen?"

"Did you ever