no doubt thought that this wicked communication had been
made by Harry Annesley. "Augustus has always proved himself to be
affectionate and respectful to his elder brother, that is, to his
brother who is--is older than himself," added Mrs. Mountjoy, feeling
that there was a difficulty in expressing herself as to the presumed
condition of the two Scarboroughs, "Of course he would rather be owner
of Tretton than let any one else have it, if you mean that. The honor of
the family is very much to him."

"I do not know that the family can have any honor left," said Florence,
severely.

"My dear, you have no right to say that. The Scarboroughs have always
held their heads very high in Staffordshire, and more so of late than
ever. I don't mean quite of late, but since Tretton became of so much
importance. Now, I'll tell you what I think we had better do. We'll go
and spend six weeks with your uncle at Brussels. He has always been
pressing us to come."

"Oh, mamma, he does not want us."

"How can you say that? How do you know?"

"I am sure Sir Magnus will not care for our coming now. Besides, how
could that be retiring into private life? Sir Magnus, as ambassador, has
his house always full of company."

"My dear, he is not ambassador. He is minister plenipotentiary. It is
not quite the same thing. And then he is our nearest relative,--our
nearest, at least, since my own brother has made this great separation,
of course. We cannot go to him to be out of the way of himself."

"Why do you want to go anywhere, mamma? Why not stay at home?" But
Florence pleaded in vain as her mother had already made up her mind.
Before that day was over she succeeded in making her daughter understand
that she was to be taken to Brussels as soon as an answer could be
received from Sir Magnus and the necessary additions were made to their
joint wardrobe.

Sir Magnus Mountjoy, the late general's elder brother, had been for the
last four or five years the English minister at Brussels. He had been
minister somewhere for a very long time, so that the memory of man
hardly ran back beyond it, and was said to have gained for himself very
extensive popularity. It had always been a point with successive
governments to see that poor Sir Magnus got something, and Sir Magnus
had never been left altogether in the cold. He was not a man who would
have been left out in the cold in silence, and perhaps the feeling that
such was the case had been as efficaci