against my only son."

"Ah, thank God! Then you will come to Southampton?"

"That is impossible. But I will telegraph my forgiveness and the
blessing which he has not sought that he may receive it before the
ship sails."

"I am grateful to you for doing even so much as that, Timothy, and for
not being angry. Then I must go alone?"

"No, no."

"Understand me," said Lady Mary, in a low voice, "for I am in earnest.
I have never deceived you. I will not defy you in secret, like Peter;
but I _will_ go and bid my only son God-speed, though the whole world
conspired to prevent me. _I will go!_"

There was a pause.

"You speak," said Sir Timothy, resentfully, "as though I had
habitually thwarted your wishes."

"Oh, no," said his wife, softly, "you never even found out what they
were."

He did not notice the words; it is doubtful whether he heard them.

"It has been my best endeavour to promote your happiness throughout
our married life, Mary, so far as I considered it compatible with your
highest welfare. I do not pretend I can enter into the high-flown
and romantic feelings engendered by your reprehensible habit of
novel-reading."

"You've scolded me so often for that," said Lady Mary, half mockingly,
half sadly. "Can't we--keep to the subject in hand, as you said just
now?"

"I have a reason, a strong reason," said Sir Timothy, "for wishing you
to remain at home to-morrow. I had hoped, by concealing it from you,
to spare you some of the painful suspense and anxiety which I am
myself experiencing."

Lady Mary laughed.

"How like a man to suppose a woman is spared anything by being kept in
the dark! I knew something was wrong. Dr. Blundell and Canon Birch are
in your confidence, I presume? They kept exchanging glances like two
mysterious owls. Your sisters are not, or they would be sighing and
shaking their heads. And John--John Crewys? Oh, he is a lawyer. When
does a visitor ever come here except on business? He has something to
do with it. Ah, to advise you for nothing over your purchase of the
Crown lands! You have got into some difficulty over that, or something
of the kind? You brought him down here for some special purpose, I am
sure; but I did not know him well enough, and I knew you too well, to
ask why."

"Mary, what has come to you? I never knew you quite like this before.
I dislike this extraordinary flippancy of tone very much."

"I beg your pardon," said Lady Mary; make allowance for me this