asked the Duke to let Jeffrey have the seat. The Duke became as black as thunder, and said that Jeffrey had no fortune. In short, he wouldn’t hear of it. Poor Jeffrey! we must try to do something for him, but I really don’t know how. Then the Duke said, that Plantagenet should put in for Silverbridge some friend who would support himself; and I fancy,—mind it’s only fancy,—but I fancy that Plantagenet mentioned to his Grace—one Mr Grey.”
“Oh, Glencora!”
“They’ve been talking together till sometimes I think Mr Grey is worse than Plantagenet. When Mr Grey began to say something the other night in the drawing-room about sugar, I knew it was all up with you. He’ll be a financial Secretary; you see if he isn’t; or a lord of something, or an under-somebody of State; and then some day he’ll go mad, either because he does or because he doesn’t get into the Cabinet.” Lady Glencora, as she said all this, knew well that the news she was giving would please her cousin better than any other tidings that could be told.
By degrees the guests came. The two Miss Howards were the first, and they expressed themselves as delighted with Lady Glencora’s taste and with Mr Palliser’s munificence,—for at that time the brooches and armlets had been produced. Kate had said very little about these matters, but the Miss Howards were loud in their thanks. But they were good-humoured, merry girls, and the house was pleasanter after their arrival than it had been before. Then came the dreaded personage,—the guest,—Lady Midlothian! On the subject of Lady Midlothian Kate had really become curious. She had a real desire to see the face and gait of the woman, and to hear her voice. Lady Midlothian came, and with her came Lady Jane and Lady Mary. I am by no means sure that Lady Jane and Lady Mary were not nearly as old as the two Miss Pallisers; but they were not probably so fully resolved as to the condition of their future modes of living as were those two ladies, and if so, they were not wrong to shine as bridesmaids. With them Alice had made some slight acquaintance during the last spring in London, and as they were now to attend upon her as the bride they were sufficiently gracious. To Kate, too, they were civil enough, and things, in public, went on very pleasantly at Matching.
A scene there was, of course, between Alice and Lady Midlothian;—a scene in private. “You must go through it,” Lady Glencora had said, with jocose mournfulness; “and why should you not let her jump upon you a little? It can’t hurt you now.”
“But I don’t like people to jump upon me,” Alice said.
“And why are you to have everything just as you like it? You are so unreasonable. Think how I’ve been jumped on! Think what I have borne from them! If you knew the things she used to say to me, you would not be such a coward. I was sent down to her for a week, and had no power of helping myself. And the Marchioness used to be sent for to look at me, for she never talks. She used to look at me, and groan, and hold up her hands till I hated her the worst of the two. Think what they did to me, and yet they are my dear friends now. Why should you escape altogether?”
Alice could not escape altogether, and therefore was closeted with Lady Midlothian for the best part of an hour. “Did Lady Macleod read to you what I wrote?” the Countess asked.
“Yes,—that is, she gave me the letter to read.”
“And I hope you understand me, Alice?”
“Oh, yes, I suppose so.”
“You suppose so, my dear! If you only suppose so I shall not be contented. I want you to appreciate my feelings towards you thoroughly. I want you to know that I am most anxious as to your future life, and that I am thoroughly satisfied with the step you are now taking.” The Countess paused, but Alice said nothing. Her tongue was itching to tell the old woman that she cared nothing for this expression of satisfaction; but she was aware that she had done much that was deserving of punishment, and resolved to take this as part of her penance. She was being jumped upon, and it was unpleasant; but, after all that had happened, it was only fitting that she should undergo much unpleasantness. “Thoroughly satisfied,” continued the Countess; “and now, I only wish to refer, in the slightest manner possible, to what took place between us when we were both of us under this roof last winter.”
“Why refer to it at all, Lady Midlothian?”
“Because I think it may do good, and because I cannot make you understand that I have thoroughly forgiven everything, unless I tell you that I have forgiven that also. On that occasion I had come all the way from Scotland on purpose to say a few words to you.”
“I am so sorry that you should have had the trouble.”
“I do not regret it, Alice. I never do regret doing anything which I believe to have been my duty. There is no knowing how far what I said then may have operated for good.” Alice thought that she knew very well, but she said nothing. “I must confess that what I then understood to be your obstinacy,—and I must say also, if I tell the truth, your indifference to—to—to all prudential considerations whatever, not to talk of appearances and decorum, and I might say, anything like a high line of duty or moral conduct,—shocked me very much. It did, indeed, my dear. Taking it altogether, I don’t know that I was ever more shocked in my life. The thing was so inscrutable!” Here Lady Midlothian held up one hand in a manner that was truly imposing; “so inscrutable! But that is all over now. What was personally offensive to myself I could easily forgive, and I do forgive it. I shall never think of it any more.” Here Lady Midlothian put up both her hands gently, as though wafting the injury away into the air. “But what I wish specially to say to you is this; your own conduct is forgiven also!” Here she paused again, and Alice winced. Who was this dreadful old Countess;—what was the Countess to her, that she should be thus tormented with the old woman’s forgiveness? John Grey had forgiven her, and of external forgiveness that was enough. She had not forgiven herself,—would never forgive herself altogether; and the pardon of no old woman in England could assist her in doing so. She had sinned, but she had not sinned against Lady Midlothian. “Let her jump upon you, and have done with it,” Lady Glencora had said. She had resolved that it should be so, but it was very hard to keep her resolution.
“The Marchioness and I have talked it over,” continued Lady Midlothian, “and she has asked me to speak for both her and myself.” There is comfort at any rate in that, thought Alice, who had never yet seen the Marchioness. “We have resolved that all those little mistakes should be as though they had never been committed. We shall both be most happy to receive you and your husband, who is, I must say, one of the most gentlemanlike looking men I ever saw. It seems that he and Mr Palliser are on most friendly,—I may say, most confidential terms, and that must be quite a pleasure to you.”
“It’s a pleasure to him, which is more to the purpose,” said Alice.
“Exactly so. And now, my dear, everything is forgiven and shall be forgotten. Come and give me a kiss, and let me wish you joy.” Alice did as she was bidden, and accepted the kiss and the congratulations, and a little box of jewellery which Lady Midlothian produced from out of her pocket. “The diamonds are from the Marchioness, my dear, whose means, as you doubtless are aware, greatly exceed my own. The garnets are from me. I hope they may both be worn long and happily.”
I hardly know which was the worst, the lecture, the kiss, or the present. The latter she would have declined, had it been possible; but it was not possible. When she had agreed to be married at Matching she had not calculated the amount of punishment which would thereby be inflicted on her. But I think that, though she bore it impatiently, she was aware that she had deserved it. Although she fretted herself greatly under the infliction of Lady Midlothian, she acknowledged to herself, even at the time, that she deserved all the lashes she received. She had made a fool of herself in her vain attempt to be greater and grander than other girls, and it was only fair that her folly should be in some sort punished before it
