inst the grain with him. The
Dean told him to be a man. Did the Dean mean to imply that his conduct
hitherto had been unmanly?

CHAPTER XLIX.

"WOULDN'T YOU COME HERE--FOR A WEEK?"

Lord George Germain was very much troubled by the nobility of the
Dean's offer. He felt sure that he could not accept it, but he felt at
the same time that it would be almost as difficult to decline to accept
it. What else was he to do? where was he to go? how was he now to
exercise authority over his wife? With what face could he call upon her
to leave her father's house, when he had no house of his own to which
to take her? There was, no doubt, the house in London, but that was her
house, and peculiarly disagreeable to him. He might go abroad; but then
what would become of his mother and sisters? He had trained himself to
think that his presence was necessary to the very existence of the
family; and his mother, though she ill-treated him, was quite of the
same opinion. There would be a declaration of a break up made to all
the world if he were to take himself far away from Manor Cross. In his
difficulty, of course he consulted Lady Sarah. What other counsellor
was possible to him?

He was very fair with his sister, trying to explain everything to
her--everything, with one or two exceptions. Of course he said nothing
of the Houghton correspondence, nor did he give exactly a true account
of the scene at Mrs. Montacute Jones' ball; but he succeeded in making
Lady Sarah understand that though he accused his wife of nothing, he
felt it to be incumbent on him to make her completely subject to his
own authority. "No doubt she was wrong to waltz after what you told
her," said Lady Sarah.

"Very wrong."

"But it was simply high spirits, I suppose."

"I don't think she understands how circumspect a young married woman
ought to be," said the anxious husband. "She does not see how very much
such high spirits may injure me. It enables an enemy to say such
terrible things."

"Why should she have an enemy, George?" Then Lord George merely
whispered his brother's name. "Why should Brotherton care to be her
enemy?"

"Because of the Dean."

"She should not suffer for that. Of course, George, Mary and I are very
different. She is young and I am old. She has been brought up to the
pleasures of life, which I disregard, perhaps because they never came
in my way. She is beautiful and soft,--a woman such as men like to have
near them. I nev