ted most
gentlemen in Mr. Traffick's position, were it not that gentlemen
easily disconcerted would hardly find themselves there.

"Where shall we go when we leave this? You were so kind as to say
something about Glenbogie when Parliament is up."

"No, I didn't."

"I thought I understood it."

"You said something and I didn't refuse."

"Put it any way you like, Sir Thomas."

"But what do you mean to do before Parliament is up? The long and the
short of it is, we didn't expect you to come back after the holidays.
I like to be plain. This might go on for ever if I didn't speak out."

"And a very comfortable way of going on it would be." Sir Thomas
raised his eyebrows in unaffected surprise, and then again assumed
his frown. "Of course I'm thinking of Augusta chiefly."

"Augusta made up her mind no doubt to leave her father's house when
she married."

"She shows her affection for her parents by wishing to remain in it.
The fact, I suppose, is, you want the rooms."

"But even if we didn't? You're not going to live here for ever, I
suppose."

"That, Sir, is too good to be thought of, I fear. The truth is we
had an idea of staying at my father's. He spoke of going down to the
country and lending us the house. My sisters have made him change his
mind and so here we are. Of course we can go into lodgings."

"Or to an hotel."

"Too dear! You see you've made me pay such a sum for insuring my
life. I'll tell you what I'll do. If you'll let us make it out here
till the 10th of July we'll go into an hotel then." Sir Thomas,
surprised at his own compliance, did at last give way. "And then we
can have a month at Glenbogie from the 12th."

"Three weeks," said Sir Thomas, shouting at the top of his voice.

"Very well; three weeks. If you could have made it the month it would
have been convenient; but I hate to be disagreeable." Thus the matter
was settled, and Mr. Traffick was altogether well pleased with the
arrangement.

"What are we to do?" said Augusta, with a very long face. "What are
we to do when we are made to go away?"

"I hope I shall be able to make some of the girls go down by that
time, and then we must squeeze in at my father's."

This and other matters made Sir Thomas in those days irritable and
disagreeable to the family. "Tom," he said to his wife, "is the
biggest fool that ever lived."

"What is the matter with him now?" asked Lady Tringle, who did not
like to have her only son abused.

"He'