ason was quite at an
end. His wife laid strong injunctions on him as to absolute secrecy,
having forgotten, probably, that she herself had told the whole
story to Lady Persiflage. The Marquis quite agreed. Secrecy was
indispensable. As for him, was it likely that he should speak of a
matter so painful and so near to his heart! Nevertheless he told
it all to Mr. Greenwood, the gentleman who acted as tutor, private
secretary, and chaplain in the house.

Lady Frances had her own ideas, as to this going away and living
abroad, very strongly developed in her mind. They intended to
persecute her till she should change her purpose. She intended to
persecute them till they should change theirs. She knew herself too
well, she thought, to have any fear as to her own persistency. That
the Marchioness should persuade, or even persecute, her out of an
engagement to which she had assented, she felt to be quite out of the
question. In her heart she despised the Marchioness,--bearing with
her till the time should come in which she would be delivered from
the nuisance of surveillance under such a woman. In her father she
trusted much, knowing him to be affectionate, believing him to be
still opposed to those aristocratic dogmas which were a religion to
the Marchioness,--feeling probably that in his very weakness she
would find her best strength. If her stepmother should in truth
become cruel, then her father would take her part against his wife.
There must be a period of discomfort,--say, six months; and then
would come the time in which she would be able to say, "I have tried
myself, and know my own mind, and I intend to go home and get myself
married." She would take care that her declaration to this effect
should not come as a sudden blow. The six months should be employed
in preparing for it. The Marchioness might be persistent in preaching
her views during the six months, but so would Lady Frances be
persistent in preaching hers.

She had not accepted the man's love when he had offered it, without
thinking much about it. The lesson which she had heard in her earlier
years from her mother had sunk deep into her very soul,--much more
deeply than the teacher of those lessons had supposed. That teacher
had never intended to inculcate as a doctrine that rank is a mistake.
No one had thought more than she of the incentives provided by rank
to high duty. "Noblesse oblige." The lesson had been engraved on her
heart, and might have been