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　　Sheisalwaysagrumbler！Iamsurenooneelsewouldcomplainofyourallbeingaslateasyouliked，’saidMrsGibson。’Whatdoyousay，Molly？’saidLadyHarriet，suddenlyturninghereyesonMolly’sface。’Don’tyouthinkwe’velostsomeofourpopularity，—

　　whichatthistimemeansvotes—bycomingsolate。Come，answerme！youusedtobeafamouslittletruth—teller。’’Idon’tknowaboutpopularityorvotes，’saidMolly，ratherunwillingly。

　　’ButIthinkmanypeopleweresorryyoudidnotcomesooner；andisn’tthatratheraproofofpopularity？’sheadded。’That’saveryneatanddiplomaticanswer，’saidLadyHarriet，smiling，andtappingMolly’scheekwithherfan。’’Mollyknowsnothingaboutit，’saidMrsGibson，alittleoffherguard。

　　’ItwouldbeveryimpertinentifsheoranyoneelsequestionedLadyCumnor’sperfectrighttocomewhenshechose。’’Well，allIknowis，Imustgobacktomammanow，butIshallmakeanotherraidintotheseregionsby—and—by，andyoumustkeepaplaceforme。Ah！

　　thereare—theMissBrownings；youseeIdon’tforgetmylesson，MissGibson。’’Molly，IcannothaveyouspeakingsotoLadyHarriet，’saidMrsGibson，assoonasshewasleftalonewithherstep—daughter。’Youwouldneverhaveknownheratallifithadnotbeenforme，anddon’tbealwaysputtingyourselfintoourconversation。’’ButImustspeakifsheasksmequestions，’pleadedMolly。’Well！ifyoumust，youmust，Iacknowledge。I’mcandidaboutthatatanyrate。Butthere’snoneedforyoutosetuptohaveanopinionatyourage。’’Idon’tknowhowtohelpit，’saidMolly。’She’ssuchawhimsicalperson；lookthere，ifshe’snottalkingtoMissPhoebe；andMissPhoebeissoweakshe’llbeeasilyledawayintofancyingsheishandandglovewithLadyHarriet。IfthereisonethingIhatemorethananother，itisthetryingtomakeoutanintimacywithgreatpeople。’Mollyfeltinnocentenough，sosheofferednojustificationofherself，andmadenoreply。IndeedshewasmoreoccupiedinwatchingCynthia。Shecouldnotunderstandthechangethatseemedtohavecomeoverthelatter。

　　Shewasdancing，itwastrue，withthesamelightnessandgraceasbefore，butthesmoothboundingmotionasofafeatherblownonwardsbythewindwasgone。Shewasconversingwithherpartner，butwithoutthesoftanimationthatusuallyshoneoutuponhercountenance。AndwhenshewasbroughtbacktoherseatMollynoticedherchangedcolour，andherdreamilyabstractedeyes。’Whatisthematter，Cynthia？’askedshe，inaverylowvoice。’Nothing，’saidCynthia，suddenlylookingup，andinanaccentofwhatwasinher，sharpness。’Whyshouldtherebe？’’Idon’tknow；butyoulookdifferenttowhatyoudid—tiredorsomething。’’Thereisnothingthematter，or，ifthereis，don’ttalkaboutit。Itisallyourfancy。’Thiswasarathercontradictoryspeech，tobeinterpretedbyintuitionratherthanbylogic。MollyunderstoodthatCynthiawishedforquietnessandsilence。Butwhatwashersurprise，afterthespeechesthathadpassedbefore，andtheimplicationofCynthia’swholemannertoMrPreston，toseehimcomeup，and，withoutaword，offerhisarmtoCynthiaandleadherofftodance。ItappearedtostrikeMrsGibsonassomethingremarkable，for，forgettingherlatepassageatarmswithMolly，sheasked，wanderingly，asifalmostdistrustingtheevidenceofhersenses，—’IsCynthiagoingtodancewithMrPreston？’Mollyhadscarcelytimetoanswerbeforesheherselfwasledoffbyherpartner。ShecouldhardlyattendtohimortothefiguresofthequadrilleforwatchingforCynthiaamongthemovingforms。Onceshecaughtaglimpseofherstandingstill—downcast—listeningtoMrPreston’seagerspeech。Againshewaswalkinglanguidlyamongthedancers，almostasifshetooknonoticeofthosearoundher。WhensheandMollyjoinedeachotheragain，theshadeonCynthia’sfacehaddeepenedtogloom。But，atthesametime，ifaphysiognomisthadstudiedherexpression，hewouldhavereadinitdefianceandanger，andperhapsalsoalittleperplexity。Whilethisquadrillehadbeengoingon，LadyHarriethadbeenspeakingtoherbrother。’Hollingford！’shesaid，layingherhandonhisarm，anddrawinghimalittleapartfromthewell—borncrowdamidwhichhestood，silentandabstracted，’youdon’tknowhowthesegoodpeopleherehavebeenhurtanddisappointedwithourbeingsolate，andwiththeduchess’sridiculoussimplicityofdress。’’Whyshouldtheymindit？’askedhe，takingadvantageofherbeingoutofbreathwitheagerness。’Oh，don’tbesowiseandstupid；don’tyousee，we’reashowandaspectacle—it’slikehavingapantomimewithharlequinandcolumbineinplainclothes。\"’Idon’tunderstandhow——’hebegan。’Thentakeitupontrust。Theyreallyarealittledisappointed，whethertheyarelogicalornotinbeingso，andwemusttryandmakeituptothem；foronething，becauseIcan’tbearourvassalstolookdissatisfiedanddisloyal，andthenthere’stheelectioninJune。’’IreallywouldassoonbeoutoftheHouseasinit。’’Nonsense；itwouldgrievepapabeyondmeasure—butthereisnotimetotalkaboutthatnow。Youmustgoanddancewithsomeofthetownspeople，andI’llaskSheepshankstointroducemetoarespectableyoungfarmer。

　　Can’tyougetCaptainJamestomakehimselfuseful？TherehegoeswithLadyAlice！IfIdon’tgethimintroducedtotheugliesttailor’sdaughterIcanfindforthenextdance！’Sheputherarminherbrother’sasshespoke，asiftoleadhimtosomepartner。Heresisted，however—resistedpiteously。’Praydon’t，Harriet。YouknowIcan’tdance。Ihateit；Ialwaysdid。

　　Idon’tknowhowtogetthroughaquadrille。’’It’sacountrydance！’saidshe，resolutely。’It’sallthesame。AndwhatshallIsaytomypartner？Ihaven’tanotion：

　　Ishallhavenosubjectincommon。Speakofbeingdisappointed，they’llbetentimesmoredisappointedwhentheyfindIcanneitherdancenortalk！’’I’llbemerciful；don’tbesocowardly。Intheireyesalordmaydancelikeabear—assomelordsnotveryfarfrommeare—ifhelikes，andthey’lltakeitforgrace。AndyoushallbeginwithMollyGibson，yourfriendthedoctor’sdaughter。She’sagood，simple，intelligentlittlegirl，whichyou’llthinkagreatdealmoreof，Isuppose，thanofthefrivolousfactofherbeingverypretty，Clare！willyouallowmetointroducemybrothertoMissGibson？hehopestoengageherforthisdance。LordHollingford，MissGibson！’PoorLordHollingford！therewasnothingforitbutforhimtofollowhissister’sveryexplicitlead，andMollyandhewalkedofftotheirplaces，eachheartilywishingtheirdancetogetherwellover。LadyHarrietflewofftoMrSheepshankstosecureherrespectableyoungfarmer，andMrsGibsonremainedalone，wishingthatLadyCumnorwouldsendoneofherattendantgentlemenforher。Itwouldbesomuchmoreagreeabletobesittingevenatthefag—endofnobilitythanhereonabenchwitheverybody；hopingthateverybodywouldseeMollydancingawaywithalord，yetvexedthatthechancehadsobefallenthatMollyinsteadofCynthiawastheyoungladysingledout；wonderingifsimplicityofdresswasnowbecomethehighestfashion，andponderingonthepossibilityofcleverlyinducingLadyHarriettointroduceLordAlbertMonsontoherownbeautifuldaughter，Cynthia。MollyfoundLordHollingford，thewiseandlearnedLordHollingford，strangelystupidinunderstandingthemysteryof’Crosshandsandbackagain，downthemiddleandupagain。’Hewasconstantlygettingholdofthewronghands，andasconstantlystoppingwhenhehadreturnedtohisplace，quiteunawarethatthedutiesofsocietyandthelawsofthedancerequiredthatheshouldgooncaperingtillhehadarrivedatthebottomoftheroom。Heperceivedthathehadperformedhispartverybadly，andapologizedtoMollywhenoncetheyhadarrivedatthathavenofcomparativepeace，andheexpressedhisregretsosimplyandheartilythatshefeltathereasewithhimatonce，especiallywhenhehadconfidedtoherhisreluctanceathavingtodanceatall，andhisonlydoingitunderhissister’scompulsion。ToMollyhewasanelderlywidower，almostasoldasherfather，andby—and—bytheygotintoverypleasantconversation。ShelearntfromhimthatRogerHamleyhadjustbeenpublishingapaperinsomescientificperiodical，whichhadexcitedconsiderableattention，asitwasintendedtoconfutesometheoryofagreatFrenchphysiologist，andRoger’sarticleprovedthewritertobepossessedofamostunusualamountofknowledgeonthesubject。ThispieceofnewswasofgreatinteresttoMolly，and，inherquestions，sheherselfevincedsomuchintelligence，andamindsowellpreparedforthereceptionofinformation，thatLordHollingfordatanyratewouldhavefelthisquestofpopularityaveryeasyaffairindeed，ifhemighthavegoneontalkingquietlytoMollyduringtherestoftheevening。Whenhetookherbacktoherplace，hefoundMrGibsonthere，andfellintotalkwithhim，untilLadyHarrietoncemorecametostirhimuptohisduties。

　　Beforeverylong，however，hereturnedtoMrGibson’sside，andbegantellinghimofthispaperofRogerHamley’s，ofwhichMrGibsonhadnotyetheard。

　　Inthemidstoftheirconversation，astheystoodclosebyMrsGibson，LordHollingfordsawMollyinthedistance，andinterruptedhimselftosay，’Whatacharminglittleladythatdaughterofyoursis！Mostgirlsofheragearesodifficulttotalkto；butsheisintelligentandfullofinterestinallsortsofsensiblethings；wellread，too—shewasupinLeR&eacute；gneAnimal—andverypretty！’MrGibsonbowed，muchpleasedatsuchacomplimentfromsuchaman，washelordornot。ItisverylikelythatifMollyhadbeenastupidlistener，LordHollingfordwouldnothavediscoveredherbeauty，ortheconversemightbeasserted—ifshehadnotbeenyoungandprettyhewouldnothaveexertedhimselftotalkonscientificsubjectsinamannerwhichshecouldunderstand。ButinwhatevermannerMollyhadwonhisapprobationandadmiration，therewasnodoubtthatshehadearneditsomehow。And，whenshenextreturnedtoherplace，MrsGibsongreetedherwithsoftwordsandagracioussmile；

　　foritdoesnotrequiremuchreasoningpowertodiscoverthatifitisaveryfinethingtobemother—in—lawtoaverymagnificentthree—tailedbashaw，itpresupposesthatthewifewhomakestheconnectionbetweenthetwopartiesisinharmonywithhermother。AndsofarhadMrsGibson’sthoughtswanderedintofuturity。SheonlywishedthatthehappychancehadfallentoCynthia’sinsteadoftoMolly’slot。ButMollywasadocile，sweetcreature，verypretty，andremarkablyintelligent，asmylordhadsaid。ItwasapitythatCynthiapreferredmakingmillinerytoreading；

　　butperhapsthatcouldberectified。AndtherewasLordCumnorcomingtospeaktoher，andLadyCumnornoddingtoher，andindicatingaplacebyherside。ItwasnotanunsatisfactoryballuponthewholetoMrsGibson，althoughshepaidtheusualpenaltyforsittingupbeyondherusualhourinperpetualglareandmovement。Thenextmorningsheawokeirritableandfatigued；

　　andalittleofthesamefeelingoppressedbothCynthiaandMolly。Theformerwaslounginginthewindow—seat，holdingathree—days—oldnewspaperinherhand，whichshewasmakingapretenceofreading，whenshewasstartledbyhermother’ssaying，—’Cynthia！can’tyoutakeupabookandimproveyourself。Iamsureyourconversationwillneverbeworthlisteningto，unlessyoureadsomethingbetterthannewspapers。Whydon’tyoukeepupyourFrench？TherewassomeFrenchbookthatMollywasreading—LeR&eacute；gneAnimal，Ithink。’’No！Ineverreadit！’saidMolly，blushing。’MrRogerHamleysometimesreadpiecesoutofitwhenIwasfirstattheHall，andtoldmewhatitwasabout。’’Oh！well。ThenIsupposeIwasmistaken。Butitcomestoallthesamething。Cynthia，youreallymustlearntosettleyourselftosomeimprovingreadingeverymorning。’RathertoMolly’ssurprise，Cynthiadidnotreplyaword；butdutifullywentandbroughtdownfromamongherBoulogneschool—books，LeSi&egrave；cledeLouisXIV。ButafterawhileMollysawthatthis’improvingreading’

　　wasjustasmuchamereexcuseforCynthia’sthinkingherownthoughtsasthenewspaperhadbeen。

　　chapter27CHAPTERXXVIIFATHERANDSONSThingswerenotgoingonanybetteratHamleyHall。Nothinghadoccurredtochangethestateofdissatisfiedfeelingintowhichthesquireandhiseldestsonhadrespectivelyfallen；andthelongcontinuancemerelyofdissatisfactionissureofitselftodeepenthefeeling，Rogerdidallinhispowertobringthefatherandsontogether；butsometimeswonderedifitwouldnothavebeenbettertoleavethemalone；fortheywerefallingintothehabitofrespectivelymakinghimtheirconfidant，andsodefiningemotionsandopinionswhichwouldhavehadlessdistinctnessiftheyhadbeenunexpressed。TherewaslittleenoughreliefinthedailylifeattheHalltohelpthemalltoshakeoffthegloom；anditeventoldonthehealthofboththesquireandOsborne。Thesquirebecamethinner，hisskinaswellashisclothesbegantohanglooseabouthim，andthefreshnessofhiscolourturnedtoredstreaks，tillhischeekslookedlikeEardistonpippins，insteadofresembling’aKatherinepearonthesidethat’snextthesun。’Rogerthoughtthathisfathersateindoorsandsmokedinhisstudymorethanwasgoodforhim，butithadbecomedifficulttogethimfarafield；hewastoomuchafraidofcomingacrosssomesignofthediscontinueddrainageworks，orbeingirritatedafreshbythesightofhisdepreciatedtimber。Osbornewaswraptupintheideaofarranginghispoemsforthepress，andsoworkingouthiswishforindependence。Whatwithdailywritingtohiswife—takinghislettershimselftoadistantpost—office，andreceivinghersthere—touchinguphissonnets，&amp；c。，withfastidiouscare；andoccasionallygivinghimselfthepleasureofavisittotheGibsons，andenjoyingthesocietyofthetwopleasantgirlsthere，hefoundlittletimeforbeingwithhisfather。IndeedOsbornewastooself—indulgentor’sensitive，’ashetermedit，tobearwellwiththesquire’sgloomyfits，ortoofrequentquerulousness。Theconsciousnessofhissecret，too，madeOsborneuncomfortableinhisfather’spresence。ItwasverywellforallpartiesthatRogerwasnot’sensitive。’for，ifhehadbeen，thereweretimeswhenitwouldhavebeenhardtobearlittlespurtsofdomestictyranny，bywhichhisfatherstrovetoasserthispoweroverbothhissons。OneoftheseoccurredverysoonafterthenightoftheHollingfordcharity—ball。Rogerhadinducedhisfathertocomeoutwithhim；andthesquirehad，onhisson’ssuggestion，takenwithhimhislongunusedspud。Thetwohadwanderedfarafield；perhapstheeldermanhadfoundtheunwontedlengthofexercisetoomuchforhim，for，asheapproachedthehouse，onhisreturn，hebecamewhatnursescallinchildren’fractious，’andreadytoturnonhiscompanionforeveryremarkhemade。Rogerunderstoodthecasebyinstinct，asitwere，andboreitallwithhisusualsweetnessoftemper。Theyenteredthehousebythefrontdoor；itlaystraightontheirlineofmarch。Ontheoldcrackedyellow—marbleslab，therelayacardwithLordHollingford’snameonit，whichRobinson，evidentlyonthewatchfortheirreturn，hastenedoutofhispantrytodelivertoRoger。’Hislordshipwasverysorrynottoseeyou，MrRoger，andhislordshipleftanoteforyou。MrOsbornetookit，Ithink，whenhepassedthrough，IaskedhislordshipifhewouldliketoseeMrOsborne，whowasindoors，asIthought。Buthislordshipsaidhewaspressedfortime，andtoldmetomakehisexcuses。’’Didn’theaskforme？’growledthesquire。’No，sir；Ican’tsayashislordshipdid。HewouldneverhavethoughtofMrOsborne，sir，ifIhadn’tnamedhim。ItwasMrRogerheseemedsokeenafter。’’Veryodd，’saidthesquire。Rogersaidnothing，althoughhenaturallyfeltsomecuriosity。Hewentintothedrawing—room，notquiteawarethathisfatherwasfollowinghim。Osbornesateatatablenearthefire，peninhand，lookingoveroneofhispoems，anddottingthei’s，crossingthet’s，andnowandthenpausingoverthealterationofaword。’Oh，Roger！’hesaid，ashisbrothercamein，’here’sbeenLordHollingfordwantingtoseeyou。’’Iknow，’repliedRoger。’Andhe’sleftanoteforyou。Robinsontriedtopersuadehimitwasformyfather，sohe’saddeda\"junior\"（RogerHamley，Esq。，junior）inpencil。’

　　Thesquirewasintheroombythistime，andwhathehadoverheardrubbedhimupstillmorethewrongway。Rogertookhisunopenednoteandreadit。’Whatdoeshesay？’askedthesquire。Rogerhandedhimthenote。ItcontainedaninvitationtodinnertomeetM。GeoffroiStH—，’whoseviewsoncertainsubjectsRogerhadbeenadvocatinginthearticleLordHollingfordhadspokenabouttoMolly，whenhedancedwithherattheHollingfordball。M。GeoffroiStH—wasinEnglandnow，andwasexpectedtopayavisitattheTowersinthecourseofthefollowingweek。HehadexpressedawishtomeettheauthorofthepaperwhichhadalreadyattractedtheattentionoftheFrenchcomparativeanatomists；andLordHollingfordaddedafewwordsastohisowndesiretomaketheacquaintanceofaneighbourwhosetastesweresosimilartohisown；andthenfollowedacivilmessagefromLordandLadyCumnor。LordHollingford’shandwascrampedandratherillegible。Thesquirecouldnotreaditallatonce，andwasenoughputouttodeclineanyassistanceindecipheringit。Atlasthemadeitout。’SomylordlieutenantistakingsomenoticeoftheHamleysatlast。Theelectioniscomingon，isit？ButIcantellhimwe’renottobegotsoeasily。Isupposethistrapissetforyou，Osborne？What’sthisyou’vebeenwritingthattheFrenchmounseerissotakenwith？’’Itisnotme，sir！’saidOsborne。’BothnoteandcallareforRoger。’’Idon’tunderstandit，’saidthesquire。’TheseWhigfellowshaveneverdonetheirdutybyme；notthatIwantitofthem。TheDukeofDebenhamusedtopaytheHamleysarespectdueto’em—theoldestlandownersinthecounty—butsincehedied，andthisshabbyWhiglordhassucceededhim，I’veneverdinedatthelordlieutenant’sonce—no，notonce。’’ButIthink，sir，I’veheardyousayLordCumnorusedtoinviteyou，—

　　onlyyoudidnotchoosetogo，’saidRoger。’Yes。Whatd’yemeanbythat？DoyousupposeIwasgoingtodeserttheprinciplesofmyfamily，andcurryfavouroftheWhigs？No！leavethattothem。TheycanasktheheiroftheHamleysfastenoughwhenacountyelectioniscomingon。’’Itellyou，sir，’saidOsborne，intheirritabletonehesometimesusedwhenhisfatherwasparticularlyunreasonable，’itisnotmeLordHollingfordisinviting；itisRoger。Rogerismakinghimselfknownforwhatheis，afirst—ratefellow，’continuedOsborne—astingofself—reproachminglingwithhisgenerousprideinhisbrother—’andheisgettinghimselfaname；

　　he’sbeenwritingaboutthesenewFrenchtheoriesanddiscoveries，andthisforeignsavantverynaturallywantstomakehisacquaintance，andsoLordHollingfordaskshimtodine。It’sasclearascanbe，’loweringhistone，andaddressinghimselftoRoger，’ithasnothingtodowithpolitics，ifmyfatherwouldbutseeit。’Ofcoursethesquireheardthislittleasidewiththeunluckyuncertaintyofhearingwhichisacharacteristicofthebeginningofdeafness；anditseffectonhimwasperceptibleintheincreasedacrimonyofhisnextspeech。’Youyoungmenthinkyouknoweverything。Itellyouit’sapalpableWhigtrick。AndwhatbusinesshasRoger—ifitisRogerthemanwants—togocurryingfavourwiththeFrench？Inmydaywewerecontenttohate’emandtolick’em。Butit’sjustlikeyourconceit，Osborne，settingyourselfuptosayit’syouryoungerbrotherthey’reasking，andnotyou；Itellyouit’syou。Theythinktheeldestsonwassuretobecalledafterhisfather，Roger—RogerHamley，junior。It’sasplainasapike—staff。Theyknowtheycan’tcatchmewithchaff，butthey’vegotupthisFrenchdodge。

　　WhatbusinesshadyoutogowritingabouttheFrench，Roger？Ishouldhavethoughtyouweretoosensibletotakeanynoticeoftheirfanciesandtheories；

　　butifitisyouthey’veasked，I’llnothaveyougoingandmeetingtheseforeignersataWhighouse。TheyoughttohaveaskedOsborne。He’stherepresentativeoftheHamleys，ifI’mnot；andtheycan’tgetme，letthemtryeverso。Besides，Osbornehasgotabitofthemounseerabouthim，whichhecaughtwithbeingsofondofgoingofftotheContinent，insteadofcomingbacktohisgoodoldEnglishhome。’Hewenton，repeatingmuchofwhathehadsaidbefore，tillhelefttheroom。Osbornehadkeptonreplyingtohisunreasonablegrumblings，whichhadonlyaddedtohisanger；andassoonasthesquirehadfairlygone，OsborneturnedtoRoger，andsaid，—’Ofcourseyou’llgo，Roger？tentoonehe’llbeinanothermindto—morrow。’’No，’saidRoger，bluntlyenough—forhewasextremelydisappointed；’I

　　won’trunthechanceofvexinghim。Ishallrefuse。’’Don’tbesuchafool！’exclaimedOsborne。’Really，myfatheristoounreasonable。

　　Youheardhowhekeptcontradictinghimself；andsuchamanasyoutobekeptunderlikeachildby——’’Don’tletustalkanymoreaboutit，Osborne，’saidRoger，writingawayfast。Whenthenotewaswritten，andsentoff，hecameandputhishandcaressinglyonOsborne’sshoulder，ashesatepretendingtoread，butinrealityvexedwithbothhisfatherandhisbrother，thoughonverydifferentgrounds。’Howgothepoems，oldfellow？Ihopethey’renearlyreadytobringout。’’No，they’renot；andifitwerenotforthemoney，Ishouldn’tcareiftheywereneverpublished。What’stheuseoffame，ifonemayn’treapthefruitsofit？’’Come，now，we’llhavenomoreofthat；let’stalkaboutthemoney。Ishallbegoingupformyfellowshipexaminationnextweek，andthenwe’llhaveapurseincommon，forthey’llneverthinkofnotgivingmeafellowshipnowI’mseniorwrangler。I’mshortenoughmyselfatpresent，andIdon’tliketobothermyfather；butwhenI’mFellow，youshalltakemedowntoWinchester，andintroducemetothelittlewife。’’ItwillbeamonthnextMondaysinceIlefther，’saidOsborne，layingdownhispapersandgazingintothefire，asifbysodoinghecouldcallupherimage。’Inherletterthismorningshebidsmegiveyousuchaprettymessage。Itwon’tbeartranslatingintoEnglish；youmustreaditforyourself，’

　　continuedhe，pointingoutalineortwoinaletterhedrewoutofhispocket。Rogersuspectedthatoneortwoofthewordswerewronglyspelt；buttheirpurportwassogentleandloving，andhadsuchatouchofsimple，respectfulgratitudeinthem，thathecouldnothelpbeingdrawnafreshtothelittleunseensister—in—law，whoseacquaintanceOsbornehadmadebyhelpinghertolookforsomemissingarticleofthechildren’s，whomshewastakingfortheirdailywalkinHydePark。ForMrsOsborneHamleyhadbeennothingmorethanaFrenchbonne，verypretty，verygraceful，andverymuchtyrannizedoverbytheroughlittleboysandgirlsshehadincharge。Shewasalittleorphan—girl，whohadcharmedtheheadsofatravellingEnglishfamily，asshehadbroughtmadamesomearticlesoflingerieatanhotel；andshehadbeenhastilyengagedbythemasbonnetotheirchildren，partlyasapetandplaythingherself，partlybecauseitwouldbesogoodforthechildrentolearnFrenchfromanative（ofAlsace！）。

　　ByandbyhermistressceasedtotakeanyparticularnoticeofAim&eacute；einthebustleofLondonandLondongaiety；butthoughfeelingmoreandmoreforlorninastrangelandeveryday，theFrenchgirlstrovehardtodoherduty。Onetouchofkindness，however，wasenoughtosetthefountaingushing；andsheandOsbornenaturallyfellintoanidealstateoflove，toberudelydisturbedbytheindignationofthemother，whenaccidentdiscoveredtohertheattachmentexistingbetweenherchildren’sbonneandayoungmanofanentirelydifferentclass。Aim&eacute；eansweredtrulytoallhermistress’squestions；butnoworldlywisdom，noranylessontobelearntfromanother’sexperience，couldintheleastdisturbherentirefaithinherlover。PerhapsMrsTownshenddidnomorethanherdutyinimmediatelysendingAim&eacute；ebacktoMetz，whereshehadfirstmetwithher，andwheresuchrelationsasremainedtothegirlmightbesupposedtoberesiding。But，altogether，sheknewsolittleofthekindofpeopleorlifetowhichshewasconsigningherdeposedprotegeethatOsborne，afterlisteningwithimpatientindignationtothelecturewhichMrsTownshendgavehimwhenheinsistedonseeingherinordertolearnwhathadbecomeofhislove，thattheyoungmansetoffstraightforMetzinhothaste，anddidnotletthegrassgrowunderhisfeetuntilhehadmadeAim&eacute；ehiswife。Allthishadoccurredthepreviousautumn，andRogerdidnotknowofthestephisbrotherhadtakenuntilitwasirrevocable。Thencamethemother’sdeath，which，besidesthesimplicityofitsownoverwhelmingsorrow，broughtwithitthelossofthekind，tendermediatrix，whocouldalwayssoftenandturnhisfather’sheart。Itisdoubtful，however，ifevenshecouldhavesucceededinthis，forthesquirelookedhigh，andoverhigh，forthewifeofhisheir；hedetestedallforeigners，andmoreoverheldallRomanCatholicsindreadandabominationsomethingakintoourancestors’hatredofwitchcraft。Alltheseprejudiceswerestrengthenedbyhisgrief。Argumentwouldalwayshaveglancedharmlessawayoffhisshieldofutterunreason；butalovingimpulse，inahappymoment，mighthavesoftenedhishearttowhathemostdetestedintheformerdays。Butthehappymomentscamenotnow，andthelovingimpulsesweretroddendownbythebitternessofhisfrequentremorse，notlessthanbyhisgrowingirritability；soAim&eacute；elivedsolitaryinthelittlecottagenearWinchesterinwhichOsbornehadinstalledherwhenshefirstcametoEnglandashiswife，andinthedaintyfurnishingofwhichhehadrunhimselfsodeeplyintodebt。ForOsborneconsultedhisownfastidioustasteinhispurchasesratherthanhersimplechildlikewishesandwants，andlookeduponthelittleFrenchwomanratherasthefuturemistressofHamleyHallthanasthewifeofamanwhowaswhollydependentonothersatpresent。

　　HehadchosenasoutherncountyasbeingfarremovedfromthosemidlandshireswherethenameofHamleyofHamleywaswellandwidelyknown；forhedidnotwishhiswifetoassume，ifonlyforatime，anamewhichwasnotjustlyandlegallyherown。Inallthesearrangementshehadwillinglystriventodohisfulldutybyher；andsherepaidhimwithpassionatedevotionandadmiringreverence。Ifhisvanityhadmetwithacheck，orhisworthydesiresforcollegehonourshadbeendisappointed，heknewwheretogoforacomforter；onewhopouredoutpraisetillherwordswerechokedinherthroatbytherapidityofherthoughts，andwhopouredoutthesmallvialsofherindignationoneveryonewhodidnotacknowledgeandbowdowntoherhusband’smerits。Ifsheeverwishedtogotothech&acirc；teau—thatwashishome—andtobeintroducedtohisfamily，Aim&eacute；eneverhintedawordofittohim。Onlyshedidyearn，andshedidplead，foralittlemoreofherhusband’scompany；andthegoodreasonswhichhadconvincedherofthenecessityofhisbeingsomuchawaywhenhewaspresenttourgethem，failedintheirefficacywhenshetriedtoreproducethemtoherselfinhisabsence。TheafternoonofthedayonwhichLordHollingfordhadcalled，Rogerwasgoingupstairs，threestepsatatime，when，ataturnonthelanding，heencounteredhisfather。ItwasthefirsttimehehadseenhimsincetheirconversationabouttheTowers’invitationtodinner。Thesquirestoppedhissonbystandingrightinthemiddleofthepassage。’Thou’rtgoingtomeetthemounseer，mylad？’saidhe，halfasaffirmation，halfasquestion。’No，sir；IsentoffJamesalmostimmediatelywithanotedecliningit。