house, and from time to time raised a little
money from those who were unfortunate enough to come in her way. But
she was sensible of her own degradation, and at the same time quite
assured that as a preacher on women's rights at large she could teach
lessons infinitely superior to anything that had come from that
impudent but imbecile American.

She had undoubtedly received overtures from the directors of the
Institute of whom poor Aunt Ju had for the moment been the spokeswoman,
and in these overtures it had been intimated to her that the directors
would be happy to remunerate her for her trouble should the money
collected at the hall enable them to do so. The Baroness believed that
enormous sums had been received, and was loud in assuring all her
friends that this popularity had in the first place been produced by
her own exertions. At any rate, she was resolved to seek redress at
law, and at last had been advised to proceed conjointly against Aunt
Ju, Lady Selina Protest, and the bald-headed old gentleman. The
business had now been brought into proper form, and the trial was to
take place in March.

All this was the cause of much trouble to poor Mary, and of very great
vexation to Lord George. When the feud was first becoming furious, an
enormous advertisement was issued by Dr. Fleabody's friends, in which
her cause was advocated and her claims recapitulated. And to this was
appended a list of the nobility, gentry, and people of England who
supported the Disabilities generally and her cause in particular. Among
these names, which were very numerous, appeared that of Lady George
Germain. This might probably have escaped both her notice and her
husband's, had not the paper been sent to her, with usual friendly
zeal, by old Lady Brabazon. "Oh George," she said, "look here. What
right have they to say so? I never patronised anything. I went there
once when I came to London first, because Miss Mildmay asked me."

"You should not have gone," said he.

"We have had all that before, and you need not scold me again. There
couldn't be any great harm in going to hear a lecture." This occurred
just previous to her going down to Manor Cross,--that journey which was
to be made for so important an object.

Then Lord George did--just what he ought not to have done. He wrote an
angry letter to Miss Fleabody, as he called her, complaining bitterly
of the insertion of his wife's name. Dr. Fleabody was quite clever
enough to make