ignant now.
I can only say again that we hope you will stay with us till Sir
Marmaduke Rowley shall be in England."

"That is not what your brother means," said Nora.

"Nor is it what I mean," said Mrs. Trevelyan. "Nora, we had better
go to our own room. I suppose I must write to my husband; indeed,
of course I must, that I may send him--the correspondence. I fear
I cannot walk out into the street, Mrs. Stanbury, and make you quit
of me, till I hear from him. And if I were to go to an inn at once,
people would speak evil of me;--and I have no money."

"My dear, how can you think of such a thing!" said Mrs. Stanbury.

"But you may be quite sure that we shall be gone within three
days,--or four at the furthest. Indeed, I will pledge myself not to
remain longer than that,--even though I should have to go to the
poor-house. Neither I nor my sister will stay in any family,--to
contaminate it. Come, Nora." And so speaking she sailed out of the
room, and her sister followed her.

"Why did you say anything about it? Oh dear, oh dear! why did you
speak to Hugh? See what you have done!"

"I am sorry that I did speak," replied Priscilla slowly.

"Sorry! Of course you are sorry; but what good is that?"

"But, mother, I do not think that I was wrong. I feel sure that the
real fault in all this is with Mr. Trevelyan, as it has been all
through. He should not have written to her as he has done."

"I suppose Hugh did tell him."

"No doubt;--and I told Hugh; but not after the fashion in which he
has told her. I blame myself mostly for this,--that we ever consented
to come to this house. We had no business here. Who is to pay the
rent?"

"Hugh insisted upon taking it."

"Yes;--and he will pay the rent; and we shall be a drag upon him, as
though he had been fool enough to have a wife and a family of his
own. And what good have we done? We had not strength enough to say
that that wicked man should not see her when he came;--for he is a
wicked man."

"If we had done that she would have been as bad then as she is now."

"Mother, we had no business to meddle either with her badness or
her goodness. What had we to do with the wife of such a one as Mr.
Trevelyan, or with any woman who was separated from her husband?"

"It was Hugh who thought we should be of service to them."

"Yes;--and I do not blame him. He is in a position to be of service
to people. He can do work and earn money, and has a right to think
and to speak.