may be doubtful, but her husband was away
and she took this advantage of his absence.

"Do you remember that night we were here?" said Lady Glencora.

"When shall I forget it; or how is it possible that such a night
should ever be forgotten?"

"No; I shall never forget it. Oh dear, what wonderful things have
happened since that! Do you ever think of Jeffrey?"

"Yes;--of course I think of him. I did like him so much. I hope I
shall see him some day."

"And he liked you too, young woman; and, what was more, young woman,
I thought at one time that, perhaps, you were going to like him in
earnest."

"Not in that way, certainly."

"You've done much better, of course; especially as poor Jeffrey's
chance of promotion doesn't look so good now. If I have a boy, I
wonder whether he'll hate me?"

"Why should he hate you?"

"I can't help it, you know, if he does. Only think what it is to
Plantagenet. Have you seen the difference it makes in him already?"

"Of course it makes a difference;--the greatest difference in the
world."

"And think what it will be to me, Alice. I used to lie in bed and
wish myself dead, and make up my mind to drown myself,--if I could
only dare. I shan't think any more of that poor fellow now." Then she
told Alice what had been done for Burgo; how his uncle had paid his
bills once again, and had agreed to give him a small income. "Poor
fellow!" said Lady Glencora, "it won't do more than buy him gloves,
you know."

The marriage was magnificent, greatly to the dismay of Alice and
to the discomfort of Mr Vavasor, who came down on the eve of the
ceremony,--arriving while his daughter and Lady Glencora were in
the ruins. Mr Grey seemed to take it all very easily, and, as Lady
Glencora said, played his part exactly as though he were in the habit
of being married, at any rate, once a year. "Nothing on earth will
ever put him out, so you need not try, my dear," she said, as Alice
stood with her a moment alone in the dressing-room up-stairs before
her departure.

"I know that," said Alice, "and therefore I shall never try."

CHAPTER LXXX

The Story Is Finished Within the Halls of the Duke of Omnium

Mr Grey and wife were duly carried away from Matching Priory by post
horses, and did their honeymoon, we may be quite sure, with much
satisfaction. When Alice was first asked where she would go, she
simply suggested that it should not be to Switzerland. They did, in
truth, go by slow stages