l be an excellent arrangement?"

In his heart of hearts Mr. Goffe thought that it would be an
excellent arrangement; but he could not commit himself to such an
opinion. Serjeant Bluestone thought that the matter should be fought
out, and Mr. Goffe was not prepared to separate himself from his
legal adviser. As Serjeant Bluestone had said after the conference,
with much argumentative vehemence,--"If we were to agree to this,
how would it be if the marriage should not come off? The court can't
agree to a marriage. The court must direct to whom the property
belongs. They profess that they can prove that our marriage was no
marriage. They must do so, or else they must withdraw the allegation.
Suppose the Italian woman were to come forward afterwards with her
claim as the widow, where then would be my client's position, and her
title as dowager countess, and her claim upon her husband's personal
estate? I never heard anything more irregular in my life. It is
just like Patterson, who always thinks he can make laws according
to the light of his own reason." So Serjeant Bluestone had said to
the lawyers who were acting with him; and Mr. Goffe, though he did
himself think that this marriage would be the best thing in the
world, could not differ from the Serjeant.

No doubt there might even yet be very great difficulties, even though
the young Earl and Lady Anna Lovel should agree to be married. Mr.
Goffe on that occasion said very little to the Countess, and she
left him with a feeling that a certain quantity of cold water had
been thrown upon the scheme. But she would not allow herself to be
disturbed by that. The marriage could go on without any consent on
the part of the lawyers, and the Countess was quite satisfied that,
should the marriage be once completed, the money and the titles would
all go as she desired. She had already begun to have more faith in
the Solicitor-General than in Mr. Goffe or in Serjeant Bluestone.

But Serjeant Bluestone was not a man to bear such treatment and be
quiet under it. He heard that very day from Mr. Goffe what had been
done, and was loud in the expression of his displeasure. It was the
most irregular thing that he had ever known. No other man except
Patterson in the whole profession would have done it! The counsel on
the other side--probably Patterson himself--had been to his client,
and given advice to his client, and had done so after her own counsel
had decided that no such advice sho