d me anything; but if he could be saved from her,--oh, I
should be so-glad."

"You won't have my money, then?"

"No,--Lady Linlithgow."

"You'd better. It is honestly your own."

"I will not take it, thank you."

"Then I may as well put it up again." And the countess replaced the
notes in her pocket-book. When this conversation took place, Frank
Greystock was travelling back alone from Portray to London. On the
same day the Fawn carriage came to fetch Lucy away. As Lucy was in
peculiar distress, Lady Fawn would not allow her to come by any
other conveyance. She did not exactly think that the carriage would
console her poor favourite; but she did it as she would have ordered
something specially nice to eat for any one who had broken his leg.
Her soft heart had compassion for misery, though she would sometimes
show her sympathy by strange expressions. Lady Linlithgow was almost
angry about the carriage. "How many carriages and how many horses
does Lady Fawn keep?" she asked.

"One carriage and two horses."

"She's very fond of sending them up into the streets of London, I
think." Lucy said nothing more, knowing that it would be impossible
to soften the heart of this dowager in regard to the other. But she
kissed the old woman at parting, and then was taken down to Richmond
in state.

She had made up her mind to have one discussion with Lady Fawn
about her engagement,--the engagement which was no longer an
engagement,--and then to have done with it. She would ask Lady
Fawn to ask the girls never to mention Mr. Greystock's name in her
hearing. Lady Fawn had also made up her mind to the same effect.
She felt that the subject should be mentioned once,--and once only.
Of course Lucy must have another place, but there need be no hurry
about that. She fully recognised her young friend's feeling of
independence, and was herself aware that she would be wrong to offer
to the girl a permanent home among her own daughters, and therefore
she could not abandon the idea of a future place; but Lucy would, of
course, remain till a situation should have been found for her that
would be in every sense unexceptionable. There need, however, be no
haste,--and, in the meantime, the few words about Frank Greystock
must be spoken. They need not, however, be spoken quite immediately.
Let there be smiles, and joy, and a merry ring of laughter on this
the first day of the return of their old friend. As Lucy had the same
feelings on that