er him many allurements in his present frame
of mind. He found nobody there whom he particularly knew, and nothing
particular to do. Solitude in a continental town with no amusements
beyond those offered by the table d'hote and the theatre is
oppressing. His time he endeavoured to occupy with thinking of the
last promise he had made to Gertrude. Should he break it or should
he keep it? Sir Thomas Tringle was, no doubt, a very rich man,--and
then there was the fact which would become known to all the world,
that he had run off with a young lady. Should he ultimately succeed
in marrying the young lady the enterprise would bear less of an
appearance of failure than it would do otherwise. But then, should
the money not be forthcoming, the consolation coming from the
possession of Gertrude herself would hardly suffice to make him a
happy man. Sir Thomas, when he came to consider the matter, would
certainly feel that his daughter had compromised herself by her
journey, and that it would be good for her to be married to the man
who had taken her. It might be that Sir Thomas would yield, and
consent to make, at any rate, some compromise. A rumour had reached
his ears that Traffick had received L200,000 with the elder daughter.
He would consent to take half that sum. After a week spent amidst
the charms of Brussels he returned to London, without any public
declaration of his doing so,--"sneaked back," as a friend of his said
of him at the club;--and then went to work to carry out his purpose
as best he might. All that was known of it at Stalham was that he had
returned to his lodgings in London.

On Friday, the 11th of April, when Ayala was a promised bride of
nearly two weeks' standing, and all the uncles and aunts were aware
that her lot in life had been fixed for her, Sir Thomas was alone in
the back-room in Lombard Street, with his mind sorely diverted from
the only joy of his life. The whole family were now in town, and
Septimus Traffick with his wife was actually occupying a room in
Queen's Gate. How it had come to pass Sir Thomas hardly knew. Some
word had been extracted from him signifying a compliance with a
request that Augusta might come to the house for a night or two until
a fitting residence should be prepared for her. Something had been
said of Lord Boardotrade's house being vacated for her and her
husband early in April. An occurrence to which married ladies are
liable was about to take place with Augusta, and S