they were in the carriage,
and very few words were spoken. As they drove up to the old house,
they found that another arrival had taken place before them,--Mrs
Greenow having reached the house in some vehicle from the Shap
station. She had come across from Norwich to Manchester, where she
had joined the train which had brought the uncle and nephew from
London.

CHAPTER LV

The Will

The coming of Mrs Greenow at this very moment was a great comfort to
Kate. Without her she would hardly have known how to bear herself
with her uncle and her brother. As it was, they were all restrained
by something of the courtesy which strangers are bound to show to
each other. George had never seen his aunt since he was a child, and
some sort of introduction was necessary between them.

"So you are George," said Mrs Greenow, putting out her hand and
smiling.

"Yes; I'm George," said he.

"And a Member of Parliament!" said Mrs Greenow. "It's quite an honour
to the family. I felt so proud when I heard it!" She said this
pleasantly, meaning it to be taken for truth, and then turned away to
her brother. "Papa's time was fully come," she said, "though, to tell
the truth, I had no idea that he was so weak as Kate describes him to
have been."

"Nor I, either," said John Vavasor. "He went to church with us here
on Christmas-day."

"Did he, indeed? Dear, dear! He seems at last to have gone off just
like poor Greenow." Here she put her handkerchief up to her face. "I
think you didn't know Greenow, John?"

"I met him once," said her brother.

"Ah! he wasn't to be known and understood in that way. I'm aware
there was a little prejudice, because of his being in trade, but
we won't talk of that now. Where should I have been without him,
tradesman or no tradesman?"

"I've no doubt he was an excellent man."

"You may say that, John. Ah, well! we can't keep everything in this
life for ever." It may, perhaps, be as well to explain now that Mrs
Greenow had told Captain Bellfield at their last meeting before
she left Norwich, that, under certain circumstances, if he behaved
himself well, there might possibly be ground of hope. Whereupon
Captain Bellfield had immediately gone to the best tailor in that
city, had told the man of his coming marriage, and had given an
extensive order. But the tailor had not as yet supplied the goods,
waiting for more credible evidence of the Captain's good fortune.
"We're all grass of the field," said