us-looking epistle into her bag
without speaking of it, and had left the room immediately that
breakfast was over.

"There's something wrong," said Sir George.

"Mamma does fret herself so much about Ludovic's money matters," said
Lady Meredith. Ludovic was Lord Lufton,--Ludovic Lufton, Baron Lufton
of Lufton, in the county of Oxfordshire.

"And yet I don't think Lufton gets much astray," said Sir George,
as he sauntered out of the room. "Well, Justy; we'll put off going
then till to-morrow; but remember, it must be the first train."
Lady Meredith said she would remember, and then they went into the
drawing-room, and there Mrs. Robarts received her letter. Fanny, when
she read it, hardly at first realized to herself the idea that her
husband, the clergyman of Framley, the family clerical friend of Lady
Lufton's establishment, was going to stay with the Duke of Omnium. It
was so thoroughly understood at Framley Court that the duke and all
belonging to him was noxious and damnable. He was a Whig, he was a
bachelor, he was a gambler, he was immoral in every way, he was a man
of no Church principle, a corrupter of youth, a sworn foe of young
wives, a swallower up of small men's patrimonies; a man whom mothers
feared for their sons, and sisters for their brothers; and worse
again, whom fathers had cause to fear for their daughters, and
brothers for their sisters;--a man who, with his belongings, dwelt,
and must dwell, poles asunder from Lady Lufton and her belongings!
And it must be remembered that all these evil things were fully
believed by Mrs. Robarts. Could it really be that her husband was
going to dwell in the halls of Apollyon, to shelter himself beneath
the wings of this very Lucifer? A cloud of sorrow settled upon her
face, and then she read the letter again very slowly, not omitting
the tell-tale postscript.

"Oh, Justinia!" at last she said.

"What, have you got bad news, too?"

"I hardly know how to tell you what has occurred. There; I suppose
you had better read it;" and she handed her husband's epistle to Lady
Meredith,--keeping back, however, the postscript.

"What on earth will her ladyship say now?" said Lady Meredith, as she
folded the paper, and replaced it in the envelope.

"What had I better do, Justinia? how had I better tell her?" And
then the two ladies put their heads together, bethinking themselves
how they might best deprecate the wrath of Lady Lufton. It had been
arranged that Mrs. Rob