s and the De Courcys, the Luftons and the Greshams, were
no doubt grander, and some of them were perhaps richer than the
Chaldicote Thornes,--as they were called to distinguish them from the
Thornes of Ullathorne; but none of these people were so pleasant in
their ways, so free in their hospitality, or so easy in their modes
of living, as the doctor and his wife. When first Chaldicotes, a very
old country seat, had by the chances of war fallen into their hands
and been newly furnished, and newly decorated, and newly gardened,
and newly greenhoused and hot-watered by them, many of the county
people had turned up their noses at them. Dear old Lady Lufton had
done so, and had been greatly grieved,--saying nothing, however, of
her grief, when her son and daughter-in-law had broken away from her,
and submitted themselves to the blandishments of the doctor's wife.
And the Grantlys had stood aloof, partly influenced, no doubt, by
their dear and intimate old friend Miss Monica Thorne of Ullathorne,
a lady of the very old school, who, though good as gold and kind as
charity, could not endure that an interloping Mrs. Thorne, who never
had a grandfather, should come to honour and glory in the county,
simply because of her riches. Miss Monica Thorne stood out, but Mrs
Grantly gave way, and having once given way found that Dr. Thorne, and
Mrs. Thorne, and Emily Dunstable, and Chaldicote House together, were
very charming. And the major had been once there with her, and had
made himself very pleasant, and there had certainly been some little
passage of incipient love between him and Miss Dunstable, as to which
Mrs. Thorne, who managed everything, seemed to be well pleased. This
had been after the first mention made by Mrs. Grantly to her son
of Emily Dunstable's name, but before she had heard any faintest
whispers of his fancy for Grace Crawley; and she had therefore been
justified in hoping,--almost in expecting, that Emily Dunstable would
be her daughter-in-law, and was therefore the more aggrieved when
this terrible Crawley peril first opened itself before her eyes.

CHAPTER III

The Archdeacon's Threat

The dinner-party at the rectory comprised none but the Grantly
family. The marchioness had written to say that she preferred to have
it so. The father had suggested that the Thornes of Ullathorne, very
old friends, might be asked, and the Greshams from Boxall Hill, and
had even promised to endeavour to get old Lady Luft