domestic control than that of
her husband. From the nature of Lord George's family this would have
been impossible at Manor Cross, and therefore I insisted on a house in
town. I could do this the more freely because the wherewithal was to
come from us, and not from them. Do not disturb what I have done."

"I will not go against you, of course, papa."

"And remember always that this is to be done as much for his sake as
for yours. His position has been very peculiar. He has no property of
his own, and he has lived there with his mother and sisters till the
feminine influences of the house have almost domineered him. It is your
duty to assist in freeing him from this." Looking at the matter in the
light now presented to her, Mary began to think that her father was
right. "With a husband there should at any rate be only one feminine
influence," he added, laughing.

"I shall not over rule him, and I shall not try," said Mary, smiling.

"At any rate, do not let other women rule him. By degrees he will learn
to enjoy London society, and so will you. You will spend half the year
at Manor Cross or the deanery, and by degrees both he and you will be
emancipated. For myself, I can conceive nothing more melancholy than
would be his slavery and yours if you were to live throughout the year
with those old women." Then, too, he said something to her of the
satisfaction which she herself would receive from living in London, and
told her that, for her, life itself had hardly as yet been commenced.
She received her lessons with thankfulness and gratitude, but with
something of wonder that he should so openly recommend to her a manner
of life which she had hitherto been taught to regard as worldly.

After that no further hint was given to her that the house in London
might yet be abandoned. When riding back with her husband, she had been
clever enough to speak of the thing as a fixed certainty; and he had
then known that he also must regard it as fixed. "You had better not
say anything more about it," he said one day almost angrily to Lady
Susanna, and then nothing more had been said about it--to him.

There were other causes of confusion,--of terrible confusion,--at Manor
Cross, of confusion so great that from day to day the Marchioness would
declare herself unable to go through the troubles before her. The
workmen were already in the big house preparing for the demolition and
reconstruction of everything as soon as she should be