de herself his confidante. She withdrew her
opposition; but it was too late. Arthur had declared that he could not
live there without L2500 a year, and this his father neither could nor
would give him. The expense of building the house, and the keeping up of
such a garden and establishment, did not leave too much available of the
wealth Lady Martindale had brought, nor was the West Indian property
in a prosperous state; the demand was preposterous; and Theodora found
herself obliged to defend poor Violet, who, her aunt declared, must have
instigated it in consequence of the notice lavished upon her; while, as
Theodora averred with far more truth, 'it was as much as the poor thing
did to know the difference between a ten-pound note and a five.' Twelve
hundred pounds a year, and the rent of a house in London, was what
his elder brother would have married upon; and this, chiefly by John's
influence, was fixed as the allowance, in addition to his pay; and as
his promotion was now purchased for him, he had far more than he had
any right to expect, though he did not seem to think so, and grumbled
to Theodora about the expense of the garden, as if it was consuming his
patrimony.

How the income would hold out, between his carelessness and her
inexperience, was a question over which his father sighed, and gave good
advice, which Arthur heard with the same sleepy, civil air of attention,
as had served him under the infliction many times before.

John gave only one piece of advice, namely, that he should consign a
fixed sum for household expenses into his wife's hands; so that he might
not be subject to continued applications.

On this he acted; and subtracting to himself, wine, men, and horses, the
full amount of his bachelor income, he, for the first time, communicated
to Violet the result of the various consultations.

'So the upshot of it all is, that we are to have a house somewhere in
Belgravia,' he began.

'That is near Lord Martindale's London house, is it not?'

'Yes; you will be in the way of all that is going on.'

'Do we go there next month?'

'I suppose so.'

'Oh! I am glad.'

'Are you? I thought you liked being here.'

'Yes, yes, of course, that I do; but it will be so pleasant to be at
home, and to have you all to myself.'

She repented the next moment, as if it had been a complaint; but he was
gratified, and called her a little monopolist.

'Oh, I don't mean to be troublesome to you,' said she, ear