don't know how it is to be done," said Aunt Emmeline.
"You must tell your uncle yourself. I don't know how you are to be
married from here, seeing the trouble we are in."

"We shall be up in London before that," said Gertrude.

"Or from Queen's Gate either," continued Aunt Emmeline.

"I don't suppose that will much signify. I shall just go to the
church."

"Like a servant-maid?" asked Gertrude.

"Yes;--like a servant-maid," said Lucy. "That is to say, a
servant-maid would, I suppose, simply walk in and be married; and I
shall do the same."

"I think you had better tell your uncle," said Aunt Emmeline. "But I
am sure I did not mean that you were to go away like this. It will be
your own doing, and I cannot help it if you will do it."

Then Lucy did tell her uncle. "And you mean to live upon three
hundred a year!" exclaimed Sir Thomas. "You don't know what you are
talking about."

"I think Mr. Hamel knows."

"He is as ignorant as a babe unborn;--I mean about that kind of
thing. I don't doubt he can make things in stone as well as anybody."

"In marble, Uncle Tom."

"Marble is stone, I suppose;--or in iron."

"Bronze, Uncle Tom."

"Very well. There is iron in bronze, I suppose. But he doesn't know
what a wife will cost. Has he bought any furniture?"

"He is going to buy it,--just a little;--what will do?"

"Why should you want to bring him into this?" Lucy looked wistfully
up into his face. He himself had been personally kind to her, and she
found it to be impossible to complain to him of her aunt. "You are
not happy here?"

"My aunt and cousins think that I am wrong; but I must be married to
him now, Uncle Tom."

"Why did he kick up his heels when I wanted to help him?"
Nevertheless, he gave his orders on the subject very much in Lucy's
favour. She was to be married from Queen's Gate, and Gertrude must
be her bridesmaid. Ayala no doubt would be the other. When his wife
expostulated, he consented that the marriage should be very quiet,
but still he would have it as he had said. Then he bestowed a cheque
upon Lucy,--larger in amount than Stubbs's loan,--saying that after
what had passed in Lombard Street he would not venture to send money
to so independent a person as Mr. Isadore Hamel; but adding that
Lucy, perhaps, would condescend to accept it. There was a smile in
his eye as he said the otherwise ill-natured word, so that Lucy,
without any wound to her feelings, could kiss him and accept his
boun