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"Her name is Mrs Marsham; she is my bête noire." And then they were actually dancing, whirling round the room together, before a word had been said of that which was Burgo's settled purpose, and which at some moments was her settled purpose also. Burgo waltzed excellently, and in old days, before her marriage, Lady Glencora had been passionately fond of dancing.
I rather think I shall, the more especially as Mr Fitzgerald waltzes very well." Thereupon she put her hand upon Burgo's arm. Mrs Marsham made still a little effort, a little effort that was probably involuntary. She put out her hand, and laid it on Lady Glencora's left shoulder, looking into her face as she did so with all the severity of caution of which she was mistress.
The interview was ended by Mr Palliser taking the name of the hotel, and promising to call before Mr Fitzgerald should be up in the morning a purposed visit, which we need not regard as requiring any very early energy on Mr Palliser's part, when we remember Burgo's own programme for the following day.
To Lady Glencora it had seemed to convey an assurance of devoted love, of that love which, in former days, her friends had told her was not within the compass of Burgo's nature. He had not asked her to meet him then, but saying that he would return to Matching after Parliament was met, begged her to let him have some means of knowing whether her heart was true to him.
How Lady Glencora might have carried herself at this moment had Mrs Marsham not been there, it is bootless now to surmise; but it may be well understood that under Mrs Marsham's immediate eye all her resolution would be in Burgo's favour. She looked at him softly and kindly, and though she uttered no articulate word, her countenance seemed to show that the meeting was not unpleasant to her.
Mr Palliser left him and went his way, feeling that he had no further eloquence at his command. He shook Burgo's hand, and then walked quickly down the hill. As he did so he passed, or would have passed the man who had been dodging them. "Misther, Misther!" said the man in a whisper. "What do you want of me?" asked Mr Palliser, in French. Then the man spoke in French, also. "Has he got any money?
Then he turned his back and walked away. The few words he had spoken, and the manner in which he had carried himself, had been such as to make all those around them notice it. Each of them knew that Lady Glencora's name should not have been in Burgo's mouth, and all felt a fear not easily to be defined that something terrible would come of it.
As to that the landlord was very confident. It was at last arranged, that the landlord was to tell Burgo that his bill did not signify at present, and that the use of the hotel was to be at Burgo's command for the next three months. At the end of that time he was to have notice to quit. No money was to be advanced to him; but the landlord, even in this respect, had a discretion.
"From Mr Fitzgerald?" said Alice, in profound astonishment: "How could Mr Fitzgerald have heard of it?" "That's more than I know, Alice. Not directly from Lady Glencora, I should say." "That would be impossible." "Yes; quite so, no doubt. I think she keeps up her intimacy with Burgo's sister, and perhaps it got round to him in that way." "And did he tell you also that I was going to-morrow?
As to telling his aunt that he had changed his mind, and, therefore, refunding the money no such thought as that was possible to him! To give back two hundred pounds entire, two hundred pounds which were already within his clutches, was not within the compass of Burgo's generosity. Remembering the cash, he told himself that hesitation was no longer possible to him.
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