首页 >出版文学> The Last Chronicle of Barset>第59章
  ’Idon’tknowwhatyoucallslow,MrCrawley。IwaseversomuchovertwohourscomingherefromBarchester。Hestumbledalmostateverystep。’
  ’Didhefallwhileyouwereonhim?’askedthemajor。
  ’Indeedhedid,sir。Youneversawsuchathing,MajorGrantly。Lookhere。’ThenMrThumble,turninground,showedthattherearportionofhisclotheshadnotescapedwithoutinjury。
  ’Itwaswellthathewasnotgoingfast,oryouwouldhavecomeontoyourhead,’saidGrantly。
  ’Itwasamercy,’saidThumble。’But,sir,asitwas,Icametothegroundwithmuchviolence。ItwasonSpigglewickHill,wheretheroadiscoveredwithloosestones。Isee,sir,youhaveagigandhorsehere,withaservant。Perhaps,asthecircumstancesaresoverypeculiar——’
  ThenMrThumblestopped,andlookedupintothemajor’sfacewithimploringeyes。Butthemajorhadnotendernessforsuchsufferings。
  ’I’msorrytosaythatIamgoingquitetheotherway,’hesaid。’IamreturningtoSilverbridge。’
  MrThumblehesitated,andthenmadearenewedrequest。’IfyouwouldnotmindtakingmetoSilverbridge,Icouldgethomefromthencebyrailway;andperhapsyouwouldallowyourservanttotakethehorsetoBarchester。’
  MajorGrantlywasforamomentdumbfounded。’Therequestismostunreasonable,sir。’saidMrCrawley。
  ’ThatisasMajorGrantlypleasestolookatit,’saidMrThumble。
  ’Iamsorrytosaythatitisquiteoutofmypower,’saidthemajor。
  ’Youcansurelywalk,leadingthebeast,ifyoufeartomounthim,’saidMrCrawley。
  ’IshalldoasIpleaseaboutthat,’saidMrThumble。’And,MrCrawley,ifyouwillhavethekindnesstoleavethingsintheparishjustastheyare——justastheyare,Iwillbeobligedtoyou。Itisthebishop’swishthatyoushouldtouchnothing。’MrThumblewasbythistimeonthestep,andMrCrawleyinstantlyslammedthedoor。’ThegentlemanisaclergymanfromBarchester,’saidMrCrawley,modestlyfoldinghishandsuponhisbreast,’whomthebishophassentoverheretotakeuponhimselftemporarilytheservicesofthechurch,anditappears,thedutiesalsooftheparish。Irefrainfromanimadvertinguponhislordship’schoice。’
  ’AndyouareleavingHogglestock?’
  ’WhenIhavefoundashelterformywifeandchildrenIshalldoso;
  nay,peradventure,Imustdosobeforeanysuchsheltercanbefound。I
  shallproceedinthatmatterasIambid。Iamonewhocanregardmyselfasnolongerpossessingtheprivilegeoffreeactioninanything。ButwhileIhavearoomatyourservice,permitmetoaskyoutoenterit。’
  ThenMrCrawleymotionedhiminwithhishand,andMajorGrantlyfoundhimselfinthepresenceofMrsCrawleyandheryoungerdaughter。
  Helookedatthembothforamoment,andcouldtracemuchofthelinesofthatfacewhichhelovedsowell。Butthetroublesoflifehadalmostrobbedtheelderladyofherbeauty;andwiththeyounger,theawkwardthinnessofthelastyearsoffemininechildhoodhadnotyetgivenplacetothefulfilmentoffemininegrace。Butthelikenessineachwasquiteenoughtomakehimfeelthatheoughttobeathomeinthatroom。Hethoughtthathecouldlovethewomanashismother,andthegirlashissister。Hefounditverydifficulttobeginanyconversationintheirpresence,andyetitseemedtobehisdutytobegin。MrCrawleyhadmarshalledhimintotheroom,andhavingdoneso,stoodasidenearthedoor。MrsCrawleyhadreceivedhimverygraciously,andhavingdoneso,seemedtobeashamedofherownhospitality。PoorJanehadshrunkbackintoadistantcorner,neartheopenstandingdeskatwhichshewasaccustomedtoreadGreektoherfather,and,ofcourse,couldnotbeexpectedtospeak。IfMajorGrantlycouldhavefoundhimselfalonewithanyoneofthethree——nay,ifhecouldhavebeentherewithanytwo,hecouldhaveopenedhisbudgetatonce;but,beforeallthefamily,hefeltthedifficultyofhissituation。’MrsCrawley,’saidhe,’Ihavebeenmostanxioustomakeyouracquaintance,andItrustyouwillexcusethelibertyIhavetakenincalling。’
  ’Ifeelgratefultoyou,asIamsuredoesalsomyhusband。’Somuchshesaid,andthenfeltangrywithherselfforsayingsomuch。Wasshenotexpressingthestronghopethathemightstandfastbyherchild,wherebythewholeCrawleyfamilywouldgainsomuch——andtheGrantlyfamilylosemuch,inthesameproportion?
  ’Sir,’saidMrCrawley,’Ioweyouthanks,stillunexpressed,inthatyoucameforwardtogetherwithMrRobartsofFramley,tosatisfythenotunnaturalrequisitionofthemagistratesbeforewhomIwascalledupontoappearintheearlywinter。Iknownotwhyanyoneshouldhaveventuredintosuchjeopardyonmyaccount。’
  ’Therewasnojeopardy,MrCrawley。Anyoneinthecountywouldhavedoneit。’
  ’Iknownotthat;norcanIseethattherewasnojeopardy。ItrustthatImayassureyouthatthereisnodanger;——none,Imean,toyou。
  Thedangertomyselfandthosebelongingtome,is,alas,veryurgent。
  Thefactsofmypositionarepressingcloseuponme。MethinksIsuffermorefromthevisitofthegentlemanwhohasjustdepartedfrommethananythingthathasyethappenedtome。Andyetheisright;——heisaltogetherright。’
  ’No,papa;heisnot,’saidJane,fromherstandinggroundneartheuprightdesk。
  ’Mydear,’saidherfather,’youshouldbesilentonsuchasubject。Itisamatterhardtobeunderstoodinallitsbearings——evenbythosewhoaremostconversantwiththem。ButasthisweneednottroubleMajorGrantly。’
  Afterthattherewassilenceamongthem,andforawhileitseemedasthoughtherecouldbenoapproachtothesubjectonwhichGrantlyhadcomehithertoexpresshimself。MrsCrawley,inherdespair,saidsomethingabouttheweather;andthemajor,tryingtodrawnearthespecialsubject,becameboldenoughtoremark’thathehadthepleasureofseeingMissCrawleyatFramley。’’MrsRobartshasbeenverykind,’
  saidMrsCrawley,’verykindindeed。Youcanunderstand,MajorGrantly,thatthismustbeaverysadhouseforayoungperson。’’Idon’tthinkitisatallsad,’saidJane,stillstandinginthecornerbytheuprightdesk。
  ThenMajorGrantlyrosefromhisseatandwalkedacrosstothegirlandshookherhand。’Youaresolikeyoursister,’saidhe。’Yoursisterisagreatfriendofmine。Shehasoftenspokentomeofyou。Ihopeweshallbefriendssomeday。’ButJanecouldmakenoanswertothis,thoughshehadbeenabletovindicatethegeneralcharacterofthehousewhileshewasleftinthecornerbyherself。’Iwonderwhetheryouwouldbeangrywithme,’continuedthemajor,’ifItoldyouIwantedtospeakawordtoyourfatherandmotheralone?’TothisJanemadenoreply,butwasoutoftheroomalmostbeforethewordshadreachedtheearsofherfatherandmother。Thoughshewasonlysixteen,andhadasyetreadnothingbutLatinandGreek——unlesswearetocountthetwelvebooksofEuclidandWood’sAlgebra,andsundrysmallerexercisesofthesamedescription——sheunderstood,aswellasanyonepresent,thereasonwhyherabsencewasrequired。
  Assheclosedthedoorthemajorpausedforamoment,expecting,orperhapshoping,thatthefatherorthemotherwouldsayaword。Butneitherofthemhadawordtosay。Theysatsilent,andasthoughconscience—stricken。Herewasarichman,ofwhomtheyhadheardthathemightprobablywishtowedtheirdaughter。Itwasmanifestenoughtobothofthemthatnomancouldmarryintotheirfamilywithoutsubjectinghimselftoaheavyportionofthatreproachanddisgracewhichwasattachedtothem。Buthowwasitpossiblethattheyshouldnotcaremorefortheirdaughter——fortheirownfleshandblood,thanfortheincidentalwelfareofthisrichman?Asregardedthemanhimselftheyhadheardeverythingthatwasgood。Suchamarriagewasliketheopeningofaparadisetotheirchild。’Nilconsciresibi,’saidthefathertohimself,ashebuckledonhisarmourforthefight。
  Whenhehadwaitedforamomentortwo,hebegan。’MrsCrawley,’hesaid,addressinghimselftothemother,’IdonotquiteknowhowfaryoumaybeawarethatI——thatIhaveforsometimebeen——beenacquaintedwithyoureldestdaughter。’
  ’Ihaveheardfromherthatsheisacquaintedwithyou,’saidMrsCrawley,almostpantingwithanxiety。
  ’Imayaswellmakeacleanbreastofitatonce,’saidthemajor,smiling,’andsayoutrightthatIhavecomeheretorequestyourpermissionandherfather’stoaskhertobemywife。’Thenhewassilent,andforafewmomentsneitherMrnorMrsCrawleyrepliedtohim。
  Shelookedatherhusband,andhegazedatthefire,andthesmilediedawayfromthemajor’sface,ashewatchedthesolemnityofthemboth。
  TherewassomethingalmostforbiddinginthepeculiargravityofMrCrawley’scountenancewhen,asatpresent,somethingoperatedwithinhimtocausehimtoexpressdissentfromanypropositionthatwasmadetohim。’Idonotknowhowfarthismaybealtogethernewtoyou,MrsCrawley,’saidthemajor,waitingforareply。
  ’Itisnotnewtome,’saidMrsCrawley。
  ’MayIhope,then,thatyouwillnotdisapprove?’
  ’Sir,’saidMrCrawley,’IamsoplacedbytheuntowardcircumstancesofmylifethatIcanhardlyclaimtoexerciseovermyowndaughterthatauthoritywhichshouldbelongtoaparent。’
  ’Mydear,donotsaythat,’saidMrsCrawley。
  ’ButIdosayit。WithinthreeweeksofthistimeImaybeaprisoner,subjecttothecriminallawsofmycountry。AtthismomentIamwithoutpowerofearningbreadformyself,orformywife,orformychildren。
  MajorGrantly,youhaveevennowseenthedepartureofthegentlemanwhohasbeensentheretotakemyplaceinthisparish。Iam,asitwere,anoutlawhere,andentitledneithertoobediencenorrespectfromthosewhounderothercircumstanceswouldbeboundtogiveboth。’
  ’MajorGrantly,’saidthepoorwoman,’nohusbandorfatherinthecountyismorecloselyobeyedormorethoroughlyrespectedandloved。’
  ’Iamsureofit,’saidthemajor。
  ’Allthis,however,mattersnothing,’saidMrCrawley,’andallspeechonsuchhomelymatterswouldamounttoanimpertinencebeforeyou,sir,wereitnotthatyouhavehintedatthepurposeofconnectingyourselfatsomefuturetimewiththisunfortunatefamily。’
  ’Imeanttobeplain—spoken,MrCrawley。’
  ’Ididnotmeantoinsinuate,sir,thattherewasaughtofreticenceinyourwords,socontrivedthatyoumightfallbackonthevaguenessofyourexpressionforprotection,shouldyouhereafterseefittochangeyourpurpose。Ishouldhavewrongedyoumuchbysuchasuggestion。I
  ratherwasmindedtomakeknowntoyouthatI——or,Ishouldrathersay,we,’andMrCrawleypointedtohiswife——’shallnotacceptyourplainnessofspeechasbetokeningaughtbeyondaconceivedideainfurtheranceofwhichyouhavethoughtitexpedienttomakecertaininquiries。’
  ’Idon’tquitefollowyou,’saidthemajor。’ButwhatIwantyoutodoistogivemeyourconsenttovisityourdaughter;andIwantMrsCrawleytowritetoGraceandtellherthatit’sallright。’MrsCrawleywasquitesurethatitwasallright,andwasreadytositdownandwritetheletterthatmoment,ifherhusbandwouldpermithertodoso。
  ’IamsorrythatIhavenotbeenexplicit,’saidMrCrawley,’butIwillendeavourtomakemyselfmoreplainlyintelligible。Mydaughter,sir,issocircumstancedinreferencetoherfather,thatI,asherfatherandagentleman,cannotencourageanymantomakeatendertoherofhishand。’
  ’ButIhavemadeupmymindaboutallthat。’
  ’AndI,sir,havemadeupmine。IdarenottellmygirlthatIthinkshewilldowelltoplaceherhandinyours。Alady,whenshedoesthat,shouldfeelatleastthatherhandisclean。’
  ’ItisthecleanestandthesweetestandfairesthandinBarsetshire,’
  saidthemajor。MrsCrawleycouldnotrestrainherself,butrunninguptohim,tookhishandinhersandkissedit。
  ’Thereisunfortunatelyastain,whichisvicarial,’beganMrCrawley,sustaininguptothatpointhisvoicewithRomanfortitude——withafortitudewhichwouldhavebeenRomanhaditnotatthatmomentbrokendownunderthepressureofhumanfeeling。Hecouldkeepitupnolonger,butcontinuedhisspeechwithbrokensobs,andwithavoicealtogetherchangedinitstone——rapidnow,whereasithadbeforebeenslow——natural,whereasithadhithertobeenaffected——human,whereasithadhithertobeenRoman。’MajorGrantly,’hesaid。’Iamsorebeset;butwhatcanIsaytoyou?Mydarlingisaspureasthelightofday——onlythatsheissoiledwithmyimpurity。SheisfittogracethehouseofthebestgentlemaninEngland,hadInotmadeherunfit。’
  ’Sheshallgracemine,’saidthemajor。’ByGodsheshall!——tomorrow,ifshe’llhaveme。’MrsCrawley,whowasstandingbesidehim,againraisedhishandandkissedit。
  ’Itmaynotbeso。AsIbeganbysaying——orratherstrovetosay,forI
  havebeenovertakenbyweakness,andcannotspeakmymind——Icannotclaimauthorityovermychildaswouldanotherman。HowcanIexerciseauthorityfrombetweenaprison’sbars?’
  ’Shewouldobeyyourslightestwish,’saidMrsCrawley。
  ’Icouldexpressnowish,’saidhe。’ButIknowmygirl,andIamsurethatshewillnotconsenttotakeinfamywithherintothehouseofthemanwholovesher。’
  ’Therewillbenoinfamy,’saidthemajor。’Infamy!ItellyouthatI
  shallbeproudoftheconnexion。’
  ’You,sir,aregenerousinyourprosperity。Wewillstrivetobeatleastjustinouradversity。Mywifeandchildrenaretobepitied——becauseofthehusbandandfather。’
  ’No!’saidMrsCrawley。’Iwillnothearthatsaid,withoutdenyingit。’
  ’Buttheymusttaketheirlotasithasbeengiventothem,’continuedhe。’Suchapositioninlifeasthatwhichyouhaveproposedtobestowuponmychildwouldbetoher,asregardshumanaffairs,greatelevation。AndfromwhatIhaveheard——ImaybepermittedtoaddalsofromwhatInowknowfrompersonalexperience——suchamarriagewouldbeladenwithfairpromiseandfuturehappiness。Butifyouaskmymind,I
  thinkthatmychildisnotfreetomakeit。You,sir,havemanyrelatives,whoarenotinlove,asyouare,allofwhomwouldbeaffectedbythestainofmydisgrace。Nooneshouldgotoyourhouseasyoursecondwifewhocannotfeelthatshewillserveyourchild。Mydaughterwouldfeelthatshewasbringinginjuryuponthebabe。Icannotbidherdothis——andIwillnot。NordoIbelievethatshewoulddosoifIbidher。’Thenheturnedhischairround,andsatwithhisfacetothewall,wipingawaythetearswithatatteredhandkerchief。
  MrsCrawleyledthemajortothefurtherwindow,andtherestoodlookingupintohisface。Itneedhardlybesaidthattheyalsowerecrying。
  Whoseeyescouldhavebeendryaftersuchascene——uponhearingsuchwords?’Youhadbettergo,’saidMrsCrawley。’Iknowhimsowell。Youhadbettergo。’
  ’MrsCrawley,’hesaidwhisperingtoher,’ifIeverdeserther,mayallthatIlovedesertme!Butwillyouhelpme?’
  ’Youwouldwantnohelp,wereitnotforthistrouble。’
  ’Butyouwillhelpme?’
  Thenshepausedforamoment,’Icandonothing,’shesaid,’butwhathebidsme。’
  ’Youwilltrustme,atanyrate,’saidthemajor。
  ’Idotrustyou,’shereplied。ThenhewentwithoutsayingawordfurthertoMrCrawley。Assoonashewasgone,thewifewentovertoherhusband,andputherarmgentlyroundhisneckashewassitting。Forawhilethehusbandtooknonoticeofhiswife’scaress,butsatmotionless,withhisfaceturnedtothewall。Thenshespoketohimawordortwo,tellinghimthattheirvisitorwasgone。’Mychild!’hesaid。’Mypoorchild!,mydarling!Shehasfoundgraceinthisman’ssight;butevenofthathasherfatherrobbedher!TheLordhasvisiteduponthechildrenthesinsofthefather,andwilldosotothethirdandfourthgeneration。’
  CHAPTERLXIV
  TRAGEDYATHOOKCOURT
  ConwayDalrymplehadhurriedoutoftheroominMrsBroughton’shouseinwhichhehadbeenpaintingJaelandSisera,thinkingthatitwouldbebettertomeetanangryandperhapstipsyhusbandonthestairs,thanitwouldbeeithertowaitforhimtillheshouldmakehiswayintohiswife’sroom,ortohideawayfromhimwiththeviewofescapingaltogetherfromsodisagreeableanencounter。Hehadnofearoftheman。
  Hedidnotthinkthattherewouldbeanyviolence——nor,asregardedhimself,didhemuchcareiftherewastobeviolence。Buthefeltthathewasbound,asfarasitmightbepossible,toscreenthepoorwomanfromtheilleffectsofherhusband’stemperandcondition。Hewas,therefore,preparedtostopBroughtononthestairs,andtousesomeforceinarrestinghimonhisway,shouldhefindthemantobereallyintoxicated。Buthehadnotdescendedaboveastairortwobeforehewasawarethatthemanbelowhim,whosestephadbeenheard,wasnotintoxicated,andthathewasnotDobbsBroughton。ItwasMrMusselboro。
  ’Itisyou,isit?’saidConway。’IthoughtitwasBroughton。’thenhelookedintotheman’sfaceandsawthathewasashypale。Allthatappearanceoflow—bredjauntinesswhichusedtobelongtohimseemedtohavebeenwashedoutofhim。Hishairhadforgottentocurl,hisgloveshadbeenthrownaside,andevenhistrinketswereoutofsight。’Whathashappened,’saidConway。’Whatisthematter?Somethingiswrong。’
  ThenitoccurredtohimthatMusselborohadbeensenttothehousetotellthewifeofthehusband’sruin。
  ’TheservanttoldmethatIshouldfindyouupstairs,’saidMusselboro。
  ’Yes;Ihaveapaintinghere。ForsometimepastIhavebeendoingapictureofMissVanSiever。MrsVanSieverhasbeenheretoday。’ConwaythoughtthatthisinformationwouldproducesomestrongeffectonClara’sproposedhusband;buthedidnotseemtoregardthematterofthepicturenorthementionofMissVanSiever’sname。
  ’Sheknowsnothingofit?’saidhe。’Shedoesn’tknowyet?’
  ’Knowwhat?’saidConway。’Sheknowsthatherhusbandhaslostmoney。’
  ’Dobbshas——destroyedhimself。’
  ’What!’
  ’BlewhisbrainsoutthismorningjustinsidetheentranceatHookCourt。Thehorrorofdrinkwasonhim,andhestoodjustinthepathwayandshothimself。Bangleswasstandingatthetopoftheirvaultsandsawhimdoit。Idon’tthinkBangleswilleverbeamanagain。Ohlord!
  Ishallnevergetoveritmyself。ThebodywastherewhenIwentin。’
  ThenMusselborosankbackagainstthewallofthestaircase,andstaredatDalrympleasthoughhestillsawbeforehimtheterriblesightofwhichhehadjustspoken。
  Dalrympleseatedhimselfonthestairsandstrovetobringhismindtobearonthetalewhichhehadjustheard。Whatwashetodo,andhowwasthatpoorwomanupstairstobeinformed?’Youcamehereintendingtotellher,’hesaidinawhisper。HefearedeverymomentthatMrsBroughtonwouldappearonthestairs,andlearnfromawordortwowhathadhappenedwithoutanyhinttoprepareherforthecatastrophe。
  ’Ithoughtyouwouldbehere。Iknewyouweredoingthepicture。Heknewit。He’dalettertosayso——oneofthoseanonymousones。’
  ’Butthatdidn’tinfluencehim?’
  ’Idon’tthinkitwasthat,’saidMusselboro。’Hemeanttohavehaditoutwithher;butitwasn’tthatasbroughtthisabout。Perhapsyoudidn’tknowthathewascleanruined?’
  ’Shehadtoldme。’
  ’Thensheknewit?’
  ’Oh,yes;sheknewthat。MrsVanSieverhadtoldher。Poorcreature!
  Howarewetobreakthistoher?’
  ’Youandsheareverythick,’saidMusselboro。’Isupposeyou’lldoitbest。’Bythistimetheywereinthedrawing—room,andthedoorwasclosed。Dalrymplehadputhishandontheotherman’sarm,andhadledhimdownstairs,outofreachofhearingfromtheroomabove。’You’lltellher——won’tyou?’saidMusselboro。ThenDalrympletriedtothinkwhatlovingfemalefriendtherewaswhowouldbreakthenewstotheunfortunatewoman。HeknewoftheVanSievers,andheknewoftheDemolines,andhealmostknewthattherewasnootherwomanwithinreachwhomhewasentitledtoregardascloselyconnectedwithMrsBroughton。
  HewaswellawarethattheanonymousletterofwhichMusselborohadjustspokenhadcomefromMissDemolines,andhecouldnotgothereforsympathyandassistance。NorcouldheapplytoMrsVanSieverafterwithhadpassedthismorning。ToClaraVanSieverhewouldhaveapplied,butthatitwasimpossibleheshouldreachClaraexceptthroughhermother。
  ’IsupposeIhadbettergotoher,’hesaid,afterawhile。Andthenhewent,leavingMusselborointhedrawing—room。’I’msobadwithit,’saidMusselboro,’thatIreallydon’tknowhowIshallevergoupthatcourtagain。’
  ConwayDalrymplemadehiswayupthestairswithveryslowsteps,andashedidsohecouldnotbutthinkseriouslyofthenatureofhisfriendshipwiththiswoman,andcouldnotbutcondemnhimselfheartilyforthefollyandiniquityofhisownconduct。Scoresoftimeshehadprofessedhislovetoherwithhalf—expressedwords,intendedtomeannothing,ashesaidtohimselfwhenhetriedtoexcusehimself,butenoughtoturnherhead,eveniftheydidnotreachherheart。Now,thiswomanwasawidow,anditcametobehisdutytotellherthatshewasso。Whatifsheshouldclaimfromhimnowthelovewhichhehadsooftenprofferedtoher!Itwasnotthathefearedthatshewouldclaimanythingfromhimatthismoment——neithernow,nortomorrow,northenextday——buttheagonyofthepresentmeetingwouldproduceothersinwhichtherewouldbesometendernessmixedwiththeagony;andsofromonemeetingtoanotherthethingwouldprogress。Butinthisdangerbeforehim,itwasnotofhimselfthathewasthinking,butofher。Howcouldheassistheratsuchatimewithoutdoinghermoreinjurythanbenefit?And,ifhedidnotassisther,whowoulddoso?Heknewhertobeheartless;butevenheartlesspeoplehaveheartswhichcanbetouchedandalmostbrokenbycertainsorrows。Herheartwouldnotbebrokenbyherhusband’sdeath,butitwouldbecomeverysoreifshewereutterlyneglected。Hewasnowatthedoor,withhishandonthelock,andwaswonderingwhysheshouldremainsolongwithinwithoutmakingherselfheard。Thenheopenedit,andfoundherseatedinalounge—chair,withherbacktothedoor,andhecouldseethatshehadavolumeofanovelinherhand。Heunderstooditall。Shewaspretendingtobeindifferenttoherhusband’sreturn。Hewalkeduptoher,thinkingthatshewouldrecognisehisstep;butshemadenosignofturningtowardshim。Hesawthemotionofherhairoverthebackofthechairassheaffectedtomakeherselfluxuriouslycomfortable。Shewasstrivingtoletherhusbandseethatshecarednothingforhim,orforhiscondition,orforhisjealousy,ifhewerejealous——orevenofhisruin。’MrsBroughton,’