with them. No one snubbed her
now. If she had a mind for arrowroot, Mrs. Toff would make it herself
and suggest a thimbleful of brandy in it with her most coaxing words.
Cloaks and petticoats she never saw, and she was quite at liberty to
stay away from afternoon church if she pleased.

It had been decided, after many discussions on the subject, that she
and her husband should go up to town for a couple of months after
Christmas, Lady Amelia going with them to look after the porter and
arrowroot, and that in March she should be brought back to Manor Cross
with a view to her confinement. This had not been conceded to her
easily, but it had at last been conceded. She had learned in secret
from her father that he would come up to town for a part of the time,
and after that she never let the question rest till she had carried her
point. The Marchioness had been obliged to confess that, in
anticipation of her Popenjoy, Sir Henry had recommended a change from
the country to town. She did not probably remember that Sir Henry had
done so because she had been very cross at the idea of being kept
running down to the country all through May. Mary pleaded that it was
no use having a house if she were not allowed to see it, that all her
things were in London, and at last declared that it would be very
convenient to have the baby born in London. Then the Marchioness saw
that a compromise was necessary. It was not to be endured that the
future Popenjoy, the future Brotherton, should be born in a little
house in Munster Court. With many misgivings it was at last arranged
that Mary should go to London on the 18th of January, and be brought
back on the 10th of March. After many consultations, computations, and
calculations, it was considered that the baby would be born somewhere
about the 1st of April.

It may be said that things at Manor Cross were quite in a halcyon
condition, when suddenly a thunderbolt fell among them. Mr. Knox
appeared one day at the house and showed to Lord George a letter from
the Marquis. It was written with his usual contempt of all ordinary
courtesy of correspondence, but with more than his usual bitterness.
It declared the writer's opinion that his brother was a mean fellow,
and deserving of no trust in that he had continued to live at the house
after having been desired to leave it by its owner; and it went on to
give peremptory orders to Mr. Knox to take steps for letting the house
at once. This took place