her, it is time that some
enquiry should be made. I, at any rate, shall make enquiry. I shall
think myself bound to do so on behalf of Mary." Then they parted as
confidential friends do part, but each with some feeling antagonistic
to the other. The Dean, though he had from his heart acknowledged that
Lord George was as honest as the sun, still felt himself to be
aggrieved by the Germain family, and doubted whether his son-in-law
would be urgent enough and constant in hostility to his own brother. He
feared that Lord George would be weak, feeling; as regarded himself,
that he would fight till he had spent his last penny, as long as there
was a chance that, by fighting, a grandson of his own might be made
Marquis of Brotherton. He, at any rate, understood his own heart in the
matter, and knew what it was that he wanted. But Lord George, though he
had found himself compelled to tell everything to the Dean, still
dreaded the Dean. It was not in accordance with his principles that he
should be leagued against his brother with such a man as Dean Lovelace,
and he could see that the Dean was thinking of his own possible
grandchildren, whereas he himself was thinking only of the family of
Germain.

He found his mother and sister at the small house,--the house at which
Farmer Price was living only a month or two since. No doubt it was the
recognised dower house, but nevertheless there was still about it a
flavour of Farmer Price. A considerable sum of money had been spent
upon it, which had come from a sacrifice of a small part of the capital
belonging to the three sisters, with an understanding that it should be
repaid out of the old lady's income. But no one, except the old lady
herself, anticipated such repayment. All this had created trouble and
grief, and the family, which was never gay, was now more sombre than
ever. When the further news was told to Lady Sarah it almost crushed
her. "A child!" she said in a horror-stricken whisper, turning quite
pale, and looking as though the crack of doom were coming at once. "Do
you believe it?" Then her brother explained the grounds he had for
believing it. "And that it was born in wedlock twelve months before the
fact was announced to us."

"It has never been announced to us," said Lord George.

"What are we to do? is my mother to be told? She ought to know at once;
and yet how can we tell her? What shall you do about the Dean?"

"He knows."

"You told him?"

"Yes; I thought