those who preached a sermon
against my dissipation in the morning, and I'm not going to allow you
to join it, now the time for its enjoyment has come."

"My dear Lady Glencora, if I were you, indeed I wouldn't," said the
old lady, looking round towards Mr Palliser.

"My dear Mrs Marsham, if you were me, indeed you would," and Lady
Glencora also looked at her husband.

"I think it a foolish thing to do," said Mr Palliser, sternly.

"If you forbid it, of course we won't go," said Lady Glencora.

"Forbid it:--no; I shall not forbid it."

"Allons donc," said Lady Glencora.

She and Alice were already muffled in cloaks and thick shawls, and
Alice now followed her out of the room. There was a door which opened
from the billiard-room out on to the grand terrace, which ran in
front of the house, and here they found Jeffrey Palliser already
armed with his cigar. Alice, to tell the truth, would much have
preferred to abandon the expedition, but she had felt that it would
be cowardly in her to desert Lady Glencora. There had not arisen any
very close intimacy between her and Mr Palliser, but she entertained
a certain feeling that Mr Palliser trusted her, and liked her to
be with his wife. She would have wished to justify this supposed
confidence, and was almost sure that Mr Palliser expected her to
do so in this instance. She did say a word or two to her cousin
up-stairs, urging that perhaps her husband would not like it.

"Let him say so plainly," said Lady Glencora, "and I'll give it
up instantly. But I'm not going to be lectured out of my purposes
secondhand by Mr Bott or old Mother Marsham. I understand all these
people, my dear. And if you throw me over, Alice, I'll never forgive
you," Lady Glencora added.

After this Alice resolved that she would not throw her friend over.
She was afraid to do so. But she was also becoming a little afraid of
her friend,--afraid that she would be driven some day either to throw
her over, or to say words to her that would be very unpalatable.

"Now, Jeffrey," said Lady Glencora as they walked abreast along the
broad terrace towards the ruins, "when we get under the old gateway
you must let me and Alice go round the dormitory and the chapel
alone. Then we'll come back by the cloisters, and we'll take another
turn outside with you. The outside is the finest by this light,--only
I want to show Alice something by ourselves."

"You're not afraid, I know, and if Miss Vavasor is not--"