er all this at night,--and so can I. Good night,
Glencora." Then Alice took her candle, and marched off to her own
room, with all the dignity of which she was mistress.

CHAPTER LXIX

From Baden to Lucerne

The second week in July saw Mr Palliser's party, carriage and all,
established at Lucerne, in Switzerland, safe beyond the reach of
the German gambling tables. Alice Vavasor was still with them; and
the reader will therefore understand that that quarrel about Lady
Glencora's wickedness had been settled without any rupture. It had
been settled amicably, and by the time that they had reached Lucerne,
Alice was inclined to acknowledge that the whole thing was not worth
notice; but for many days her anger against Mr Palliser had not been
removed, and her intimacy with him had been much checked. It was now
a month since the occurrence of that little scene in the salon at
Baden, which was described in the last chapter,--since Mr Palliser
had marched off with his wife, leaving Alice to follow as she best
could by herself. After that, as the reader may remember, he had
almost told her that she was to be blamed because of his wife's
indiscretion; and when she had declared her intention of leaving him,
and making her way home to England by herself, he had answered her
not at all, and had allowed her to go off to her own room under the
full ban of his displeasure. Since that he had made no apology to
her; he had not, in so many words, acknowledged that he had wronged
her; but Alice had become aware that he intended to apologize by his
conduct, and she had been content so far to indulge his obstinacy as
to accept this conduct on his part in lieu of any outspoken petition
for pardon. The acknowledgement of a mistake and the asking for grace
is almost too much for any woman to expect from such a man as Mr
Palliser.

Early on the morning after the scene in question, Lady Glencora
had gone into Alice's bedroom, and had found her cousin in her
dressing-gown, packing up her things, or looking as though she
intended to do so. "You are not such a fool," she said, "as to think
anything of what occurred yesterday?" Alice assured her that, whether
fool or not, she did think a great deal of it. "In point of fact,"
said Alice, "I can't stand it. He expects me to take care of you, and
chooses to show himself offended if you don't do just what he thinks
proper; whereas, as you know well enough, I have not the slightest
influence