rne had just come from the house, and Stanbury was going to it. Hugh had not spoken to Osborne since the day, now a fortnight since, on which both of them had witne

s would be sure to come all right. 'The truth is Trevelyan bullies her,' said Osborne; 'and if he goes on with that he'll be sure to get the worst of it.' Now on this present occasion Stanbury asked whether he would find the ladies at

ter by her aunt, and how he had counselled his sister to accept the invitation. Nora had expressed herself very interested as to Dorothy's fate, and had said how much she wished that she knew Dorothy. We all understand how sweet it is, when two such persons as Hugh Stanbury and Nora Rowley cannot speak of their love for each other, to say these tender t

s not at hom

y. 'He went out and left us a quarter of a

r sister. Nora was most anxious that Emily should not speak of what had just occurred, but her signs were all thrown away.

and to who

no,' sa

. As for standing this kind of life, it is out of the

ood I should be so h

good between a man

stop her. She was very angry, and as she told it, standing up, all trace of sobbing soon disappeared from her voice. 'The fact is,' s

ly, of your repeating

He is a man I like very much, who is a real friend to me. As he is old enough to b

ch about his age

when my husband told me that I was to see him no more, though the insult nearly killed me, I determined to obey him. An order was gi

lunching with you

d done. He was so jealous that he did not want me to see the man; and yet he was so afraid that it should b

that we met you in the

f going back to al

egged that things might go on as they were before. He could not bear that Colonel Osborne himself should think that he was jealous. Well; I gave way, and the man has been here as

hat ca

r Stanbury,

ce again. It will be very absurd; but if he chooses, I will consent. Or I will let things go on as they are, and continue to receive my father's old friend when he comes. But if I do, I will not put up with an imputation on my conduct because he does not like the way in which the gentle

om. But instead of doing so she had told herself that as she was innocent, and as her innocence had been acknowledged, and as she had been specially instructed to receive this man whom she had before been specially instructed not to receive, she would now fall back exactly into her old manner with him. She had told Colonel Osborne never to allude to that meeting in the park, and to ask no creature as to what had occasioned her conduct on that Sunday; thus having a mystery with him, which of course he understood as well as she did. And then she had again taken to writing notes to him and receiving notes from him - none of which she showed to her husband. She was more intimate with him than ever, and yet she hardly ever mentioned his name to her husband. Tre

with him?' Colonel

her child, telling herself that she was doing all that the strictest propriety could require in leaving the man's society as

n. At last he got a moment in which to produce the letter from his sister, and was able to turn the conversation for a few minutes to his own affairs. Dorothy's letter was read and discussed by both the ladies with much zeal. 'It is quite a strange world to me,' said Dorothy, 'but I am begi

re of her own way as well as an

ever want to have her

want it,' said

h to turn if she's tr

at most women have,'

uarter. So I was frightened, and only sent thirty shillings. We went out the other evening to drink tea with Mrs MacHugh, an old lady whose husband was once dean. I had to go, and it was all very nice. There were a great many clergymen there, but many of them were young men.' 'Poor Dorothy,' exclaimed Nora. 'One of them was the minor canon wh

go down to Exeter and look after her. He explained, however, that he was expressly debarred from calling on his sister, even between the

the old viragos in Exeter,' said Mrs Trevelyan. 'I ha

in the way of kindness, in doing what perhaps I ought to call charity. I wo

ound that Trevelyan had not been there as yet. In another hour he called again, a

ing for you

here

was, at the moment, in an angry and unhappy frame of mind. He did not move as though he were willing to accomp

rhaps you wouldn't mind taking

so Stanbury felt it to be on the present occasion. But he had no alternative. There they were together, and he must do as he had promised. Trevelyan kept on his hat and

me from Curzon

el

s there about

, whether it was two hours or

pon the two girls there, when they were very unhappy, and

nel Osbor

in the street a min

f this. It is not but that I regard you as being as good a friend as I have in the worl

rstand that I only

in such a cause. If she has anythin

nd that you will

rathe

are wrong,' s

y understand that a young woman like her, especially with her sist

ou wrong your wife, and you e

This Trevelyan said holding the door of the room half open in

said Stanbury,

revelyan, with an assu

now full of anger against Trevelyan, and had become a partisan in the matter which was exactly that which he had resolutely determined that he would not become. 'I believe that no woman on earth could live with him,' he said to hi

ake up his mind as to what he would do. He had sternly refused the interference of a friend, and he must be prepared to act on his own responsibility. He knew well that he could not begin again with his wife on the next day as though nothing had happened. St

resolution; and how few of them have fou