Cashel Byron's Profession

"I cannot afford expensive dresses," said Alice.

"I should not ask you to get them if you could not afford them. I

warned you that I should give you expensive habits."

Alice hesitated. She had a healthy inclination to take whatever she

could get on all occasions; and she had suffered too much from

poverty not to be more thankful for her good-fortune than humiliated

by Miss Carew's bounty. But the thought of being driven, richly

attired, in one of the castle carriages, and meeting Janet trudging

about her daily tasks in cheap black serge and mended gloves, made

Alice feel that she deserved all her mother's reproaches. However,

it was obvious that a refusal would be of no material benefit to

Janet, so she said, "Really I could not think of imposing on your kindness in this

wholesale fashion. You are too good to me."

"I will write to Madame Smith this evening," said Lydia.

Alice was about to renew her protest more faintly, when a servant

entered and announced Mr. Webber. She stiffened herself to receive

the visitor. Lydia's manner did not alter in the least. Lucian,

whose demeanor resembled Miss Goff's rather than his cousin's, went

through the ceremony of introduction with solemnity, and was

received with a dash of scorn; for Alice, though secretly

awe-stricken, bore herself tyrannically towards men from habit.

In reply to Alice, Mr. Webber thought the day cooler than yesterday.

In reply to Lydia, he admitted that the resolution of which the

leader of the opposition had given notice was tantamount to a vote

of censure on the government. He was confident that ministers would

have a majority. He had no news of any importance. He had made the

journey down with Lord Worthington, who had come to Wiltstoken to

see the invalid at the Warren. He had promised to return with him in

the seven-thirty train.

When they went down to dinner, Alice, profiting by her experience of

the day before, faced the servants with composure, and committed no

solecisms. Unable to take part in the conversation, as she knew

little of literature and nothing of politics, which were the staple

of Lucian's discourse, she sat silent, and reconsidered an old

opinion of hers that it was ridiculous and ill-bred in a lady to

discuss anything that was in the newspapers. She was impressed by

Lucian's cautious and somewhat dogmatic style of conversation, and

concluded that he knew everything. Lydia seemed interested in his

information, but quite indifferent to his opinions.

Towards half-past seven Lydia proposed that they should walk to the

railway station, adding, as a reason for going, that she wished to

make some bets with Lord Worthington. Lucian looked grave at this,

and Alice, to show that she shared his notions of propriety, looked

shocked. Neither demonstration had the slightest effect on Lydia. On

their way to the station he remarked, "Worthington is afraid of you, Lydia--needlessly, as it seems."