liked, for the checks she now knew would come without stint. And he would go on living in Harley Street, seeing Lady Mason as often as he pleased. Sophia would be the mistress of the house; and as long as this was so, Lady Mason would not show her face there. Now this was not a course of events to which Mrs. Furnival could bring herself to look forward with satisfaction.
All this delayed her during that day, but before she went to bed she made up her mind that she would at any rate go down to Hamworth. Tom, she knew, was deceiving her; of that she felt morally sure. She would at any rate go down to Hamworth, and trust to her own wit for finding out the truth when there.
CHAPTER X.
IT IS QUITE IMPOSSIBLE.
All was now sadness at The Cleeve. It was soon understood among the servants that there was to be no marriage, and the tidings spread from the house, out among the neighbours and into Hamworth. But no one knew the reason of this change;—none except those three, the woman herself who had committed the crime and the two to whom she had told it. On that same night, the night of the day on which the tale had been told, Lady Mason wrote a line,—almost a single line to her son.
'Dearest Lucius.
'All is over between me and Sir Peregrine. It is better that it should be so. I write to tell you this without losing an hour. For the present I remain here with my dear—dearest friends.
'Your own affectionate mother,
'M. Mason.'
This note she had written in obedience to the behests of Mrs. Orme, and even under her dictation—with the exception of one or two words, 'I remain here with my friends,' Mrs. Orme had said; but Lady Mason had put in the two epithets, and had then declared her own conviction that she had now no right to use such language.
'Yes, of me you may, certainly,' said Mrs. Orme, keeping close to her shoulder.
'Then I will alter it,' said Lady Mason. 'I will write it again and say I am staying with you.'
But this Mrs. Orme had forbidden. 'No; it will be better so,' she said. 'Sir Peregrine would wish it. I am sure he would. He quite agrees that———' Mrs. Orme did not finish her sentence, but the letter was despatched, written as above. The answer
