ary should not at once go
down to Cross Hall.

Her letter was supplicatory, spasmodic, full of sorrow, and full of
love. She was quite sure that her dear papa would have done nothing
that he ought not to have done; but yet she was very sorry for the
Marquis, because of his mother and sisters, and because of her dear,
dear George. Could he not run up to them and hear all about it from
papa? If the Marquis had said ill-natured things of her it was very
cruel, because nobody loved her husband better than she loved her dear,
dear George,--and so on. The letters were then sent under cover to the
housekeeper at the deanery, with orders to send them on by private
messenger to Cross Hall.

On the following day the Dean went to Scumberg's, but could not learn
much there. The Marquis had been very bad, and had had one and another
doctor with him almost continually; but Mrs. Walker could not take upon
herself to say that "it was dangerous." She thought it was "in'ard."
Mrs. Walkers always do think that it is "in'ard" when there is nothing
palpable outward. At any rate his lordship had not been out of bed and
had taken nothing but tapioca and brandy. There was very little more
than this to be learned at the police court. The case might be serious,
but the superintendent hoped otherwise. The superintendent did not
think that the Dean should go down quite to-morrow. The morrow was
Friday; but he suggested Saturday as possible, Monday as almost
certain. It may be as well to say here that the Dean did not call at
the police court again, and heard nothing further from the officers of
the law respecting the occurrence at Scumberg's. On the Friday he
called again at Scumberg's, and the Marquis was still in bed. His
"in'ards" had not ceased to be matter of anxiety to Mrs. Walker; but
the surgeon, whom the Dean now saw, declared that the muscles of the
nobleman's back were more deserving of sympathy. The surgeon, with a
gravity that almost indicated offence, expressed his opinion that the
Marquis's back had received an injury which--which might be--very
injurious.

Lord George when he received the letters was thrown into a state of
mind that almost distracted him. During the last week or two the
animosity felt at Cross Hall against the Marquis had been greatly
weakened. A feeling had come upon the family that after all Popenjoy
was Popenjoy; and that, although the natal circumstances of such a
Popenjoy were doubtless unfortunate for the