ite
as a friend. "Of course I understand," she said, "and I know that the
business which takes you up to London pleases you." "Well; yes;--it
does please me. I am glad,--I don't mind saying so to you. But it
does not please me to think that I shall be away at your marriage.
Pray make your father understand that it was absolutely unavoidable.
But I shall see him, of course, when I come back. And I shall see you
too before very long."

"Shall you?"

"Oh yes."

"And why so?"

"Because Mr Grey must be at Silverbridge for his election.--But
perhaps I ought not tell you his secrets." Then he took her into the
breakfast-parlour and showed her his present. It was a service of
Sevres china,--very precious and beautiful. "I got you these things
because Grey likes china."

"So do I like china," said she, with her face brighter than he had
ever yet seen it.

"I thought you would like them best," said he. Alice looking up at
him with her eyes full of tears told him that she did like them best;
and then, as he wished her all happiness, and as he was stooping over
her to kiss her, Lady Glencora came in.

"I beg pardon," said she, "I was just one minute too soon; was I
not?"

"She would have them sent here and unpacked," said Mr Palliser,
"though I told her it was foolish."

"Of course I would," said Lady Glencora. "Everything shall be
unpacked and shown. It's easy to get somebody to pack them again."

Much of the wedding tribute had already been deposited with the
china, and among other things there were the jewels that Lady
Midlothian had brought.

"Upon my word, her ladyship's diamonds are not to be sneezed at,"
said Lady Glencora.

"I don't care for diamonds," said Alice.

Then Lady Glencora took up the Countess's trinkets, and shook her
head and turned up her nose. There was a wonderfully comic expression
on her face as she did so.

"To me they are just as good as the others," said Alice.

"To me they are not, then," said Lady Glencora. "Diamonds are
diamonds, and garnets are garnets; and I am not so romantic but what
I know the difference."

On the evening before the marriage Alice and Lady Glencora walked for
the last time through the Priory ruins. It was now September, and the
evenings were still long, so that the ladies could get out upon the
lawn after dinner. Whether Lady Glencora would have been allowed to
walk through the ruins so late as half-past eight in the evening if
her husband had been there