the same
awe were powerful also with Marie;--but they did not conquer her. She
was strong and conquered them; and she did not care to affect a
weakness to which she was in truth superior. In such a household the
death of such a father after such a fashion will hardly produce that
tender sorrow which comes from real love.

She soon knew it all. Her father had destroyed himself, and had
doubtless done so because his troubles in regard to money had been
greater than he could bear. When he had told her that she was to sign
those deeds because ruin was impending, he must indeed have told her
the truth. He had so often lied to her that she had had no means of
knowing whether he was lying then or telling her a true story. But she
had offered to sign the deeds since that, and he had told her that it
would be of no avail,--and at that time had not been angry with her
as he would have been had her refusal been the cause of his ruin. She
took some comfort in thinking of that.

But what was she to do? What was to be done generally by that
over-cumbered household? She and her pseudo-mother had been instructed
to pack up their jewellery, and they had both obeyed the order. But
she herself at this moment cared but little for any property. How
ought she to behave herself? Where should she go? On whose arm could
she lean for some support at this terrible time? As for love, and
engagements, and marriage,--that was all over. In her difficulty she
never for a moment thought of Sir Felix Carbury. Though she had been
silly enough to love the man because he was pleasant to look at, she
had never been so far gone in silliness as to suppose that he was a
staff upon which any one might lean. Had that marriage taken place,
she would have been the staff. But it might be possible that Lord
Nidderdale would help her. He was good-natured and manly, and would be
efficacious,--if only he would come to her. He was near, and she
thought that at any rate she would try. So she had written her note
and sent it by the butler,--thinking as she did so of the words she
would use to make the young man understand that all the nonsense they
had talked as to marrying each other was, of course, to mean nothing
now.

It was past eleven when he reached the house, and he was shown
upstairs into one of the sitting-rooms on the first-floor. As he
passed the door of the study, which was at the moment partly open, he
saw the dress of a policeman within, and knew that