ge sums of money, it could not be right that she should do so
without his knowledge, even though the property was her own. "I will
promise you that I will not oppose your wishes," he said. Then Alice
undertook that when such case should arise the money should be raised
through his means.

The day but one following this she received a letter from Lady
Glencora, who was still at Matching Priory. It was a light-spirited,
chatty, amusing letter, intended to be happy in its tone,--intended
to have a flavour of happiness, but just failing through the too
apparent meaning of a word here and there. "You will see that I am at
Matching," the letter said, "whereas you will remember that I was to
have been at Monkshade. I escaped at last by a violent effort, and
am now passing my time innocently,--I fear not so profitably as she
would induce me to do,--with Iphy Palliser. You remember Iphy. She is
a good creature, and would fain turn even me to profit, if it were
possible. I own that I am thinking of them all at Monkshade, and am
in truth delighted that I am not there. My absence is entirely laid
upon your shoulders. That wicked evening amidst the ruins! Poor
ruins. I go there alone sometimes and fancy that I hear such voices
from the walls, and see such faces through the broken windows! All
the old Pallisers come and frown at me, and tell me that I am not
good enough to belong to them. There is a particular window to which
Sir Guy comes and makes faces at me. I told Iphy the other day, and
she answered me very gravely, that I might, if I chose, make myself
good enough for the Pallisers. Even for the Pallisers! Isn't that
beautiful?"

Then Lady Glencora went on to say, that her husband intended to come
up to London early in the session, and that she would accompany him.
"That is," added Lady Glencora, "if I am still good enough for the
Pallisers at that time."

CHAPTER XXXVIII

The Inn at Shap

When George Vavasor left Mr Scruby's office--the attentive reader
will remember that he did call upon Mr Scruby, the Parliamentary
lawyer, and there recognised the necessity of putting himself
in possession of a small sum of money with as little delay as
possible;--when he left the attorney's office, he was well aware that
the work to be done was still before him. And he knew also that the
job to be undertaken was a very disagreeable job. He did not like the
task of borrowing his cousin Alice's money.

We all of us know that