ir Thomas certainly
understood that the occurrence was to be expected under the roof of
the coming infant's noble grandfather. Something as to ancestral
halls had been thrown out in the chance way of conversation. Then he
certainly had assented to some minimum of London hospitality for his
daughter,--as certainly not including the presence of his son-in-law;
and now both of them were domiciled in the big front spare bed-room
at Queen's Gate! This perplexed him sorely. And then Tom had been
brought up from the country still as an invalid, his mother moaning
and groaning over him as though he were sick almost past hope of
recovery. And yet the nineteenth of the month, now only eight days
distant, was still fixed for his departure. Tom, on the return of his
mother from Stalham, had to a certain extent accepted as irrevocable
the fact of which she bore the tidings. Ayala was engaged to Stubbs,
and would, doubtless, with very little delay, become Mrs. Jonathan
Stubbs. "I knew it," he said; "I knew it. Nothing could have
prevented it unless I had shot him through the heart. He told me that
she had refused him; but no man could have looked like that after
being refused by Ayala." Then he never expressed a hope again. It
was all over for him as regarded Ayala. But still he refused to be
well, or even, for a day or two, to leave his bed. He had allowed
his mother to understand that if the fact of her engagement were
indubitably brought home to him he would gird up his loins for his
journey and proceed at once wherever it might be thought good to send
him. His father had sternly reminded him of his promise; but, when
so reminded, Tom had turned himself in his bed and uttered groans
instead of replies. Now he had been brought up to London and was
no longer actually in bed; but even yet he had not signified his
intention of girding up his loins and proceeding upon his journey.
Nevertheless the preparations were going on, and, under Sir Thomas's
directions, the portmanteaus were already being packed. Gertrude also
was a source of discomfort to her father. She considered herself
to have been deprived of her two lovers, one after the other, in a
spirit of cruel parsimony. And with this heavy weight upon her breast
she refused to take any part in the family conversations. Everything
had been done for Augusta, and everything was to be done for Tom. For
her nothing had been done, and nothing had been promised;--and she
was therefore very