lace the
most miserable of human beings, spending hour after hour in imploring
his mother's assistance. But Lucy with her quiet determination, and
mute persistency in waiting, was a source of almost greater annoyance
to her aunt than even her own children. That Lucy should in any
degree have had her way with Mr. Hamel, had gone against the grain
with her. Mr. Hamel, to her thinking, was a person to be connected
with whom would be a disgrace. She was always speaking of his birth,
of his father's life, and of those Roman iniquities. She had given
way for a time when she had understood that her husband intended to
give the young people money enough to enable them to marry. In that
case Lucy would at once be taken away from the house. But now all
that had come to an end. Sir Thomas had given no money, and had even
refused to give any money. Nevertheless he was peacefully indulgent
to Lucy, and was always scolding his wife because she was hostile to
Lucy's lover.

In this emergency she induced him to accede to a proposition, by
which one of her miseries would be brought to an end and another
might perhaps be remedied. A second exchange should be made. Lucy
should be sent back to Kingsbury Crescent, and Ayala should once more
be brought into favour at Merle Park, Queen's Gate, and Glenbogie.
"Your brother will never put up with it," said Sir Thomas. Lady
Tringle was not afraid of her brother, and thought that by soft words
she might even talk over her sister-in-law. Ayala, she knew, had been
troublesome in Kingsbury Crescent. She was sure, she said, Ayala's
whims would of their nature be more troublesome to such a woman as
Mrs. Dosett than Lucy's obstinacy. Ayala had no doubt been pert and
disobedient at Glenbogie and at Rome, but there had been an unbending
obduracy about Lucy which had been more distasteful to Aunt Emmeline
than even Ayala's pert disobedience. "It will be the only way," she
had said to Sir Thomas, "to put Tom on his legs again. If the girl
comes back here she will be sure to have him at last." There was
much in this which to Sir Thomas was weak and absurd. That prolonged
journey round by San Francisco, Japan, and Pekin, was the remedy
which recommended itself to him. But he was less able to despatch
Tom at once to Japan than the elder Faddle had been to send off the
younger Faddle to the stern realities of life in Aberdeen. He was
quite willing that Tom should marry Ayala if it could be arranged,
and ther