gible to him that, under
present circumstances, Mary's visits at Greshamsbury had better be
discontinued. She would have given much, however, to have escaped
this business. She had in her time tried one or two falls with the
doctor, and she was conscious that she had never yet got the better
of him: and then she was in a slight degree afraid of Mary herself.
She had a presentiment that it would not be so easy to banish Mary
from Greshamsbury: she was not sure that that young lady would not
boldly assert her right to her place in the school-room; appeal
loudly to the squire, and perhaps, declare her determination of
marrying the heir, out before them all. The squire would be sure to
uphold her in that, or in anything else.

And then, too, there would be the greatest difficulty in wording her
request to the doctor; and Lady Arabella was sufficiently conscious
of her own weakness to know that she was not always very good at
words. But the doctor, when hard pressed, was never at fault: he
could say the bitterest things in the quietest tone, and Lady
Arabella had a great dread of these bitter things. What, also, if he
should desert her himself; withdraw from her his skill and knowledge
of her bodily wants and ailments now that he was so necessary to her?
She had once before taken that measure of sending to Barchester for
Dr Fillgrave, but it had answered with her hardly better than with
Sir Roger and Lady Scatcherd.

When, therefore, Lady Arabella found herself alone with the doctor,
and called upon to say out her say in what best language she could
select for the occasion, she did not feel to very much at her ease.
There was that about the man before her which cowed her, in spite of
her being the wife of the squire, the sister of an earl, a person
quite acknowledged to be of the great world, and the mother of the
very important young man whose affections were now about to be called
in question. Nevertheless, there was the task to be done, and with a
mother's courage she essayed it.

"Dr Thorne," said she, as soon as their medical conference was at
an end, "I am very glad you came over to-day, for I had something
special which I wanted to say to you:" so far she got, and then
stopped; but, as the doctor did not seem inclined to give her any
assistance, she was forced to flounder on as best she could.

"Something very particular indeed. You know what a respect and
esteem, and I may say affection, we all have for you,"--h