Mrs Greenow, lightly brushing
a tear from her eye, "and must be cut down and put into the oven in
our turns." Her brother uttered a slight sympathetic groan, shaking
his head in testimony of the uncertainty of human affairs, and then
said that he would go out and look about the place. George, in the
meantime, had asked his sister to show him his room, and the two were
already together up-stairs.

Kate had made up her mind that she would say nothing about Alice at
the present moment,--nothing, if it could be avoided, till after the
funeral. She led the way up-stairs, almost trembling with fear, for
she knew that that other subject of the will would also give rise to
trouble and sorrow,--perhaps, also, to determined quarrelling.

"What has brought that woman here?" was the first question that
George asked.

"I asked her to come," said Kate.

"And why did you ask her to come here?" said George, angrily. Kate
immediately felt that he was speaking as though he were master of
the house, and also as though he intended to be master of her. As
regarded the former idea, she had no objection to it. She thoroughly
and honestly wished that he might be the master; and though she
feared that he might find himself mistaken in his assumption, she
herself was not disposed to deny any appearance of right that he
might take upon himself in that respect. But she had already begun to
tell herself that she must not submit herself to his masterdom. She
had gradually so taught herself since he had compelled her to write
the first letter in which Alice had been asked to give her money.

"I asked her, George, before my poor grandfather's death, when I
thought that he would linger perhaps for weeks. My life here alone
with him, without any other woman in the house beside the servants,
was very melancholy."

"Why did you not ask Alice to come to you?"

"Alice could not have come," said Kate, after a short pause.

"I don't know why she shouldn't have come. I won't have that woman
about the place. She disgraced herself by marrying a blacksmith--."

"Why, George, it was you yourself who advised me to go and stay with
her."

"That's a very different thing. Now that he's dead, and she's got his
money, it's all very well that you should go to her occasionally; but
I won't have her here."

"It's natural that she should come to her father's house at her
father's death-bed."

"I hate to be told that things are natural. It always means humbug