"Try not to grieve, darling," said Lydgate, turning his eyes up towards

her. That she had chosen to move away from him in this moment of her

trouble made everything harder to say, but he must absolutely go on.

"We must brace ourselves to do what is necessary. It is I who have

been in fault: I ought to have seen that I could not afford-to live in

this way. But many things have told against me in my practice, and it

really just now has ebbed to a low point. I may recover it, but in the

mean time we must pull up--we must change our way of living. We shall

weather it. When I have given this security I shall have time to look

about me; and you are so clever that if you turn your mind to managing

you will school me into carefulness. I have been a thoughtless rascal

about squaring prices--but come, dear, sit down and forgive me."

Lydgate was bowing his neck under the yoke like a creature who had

talons, but who had Reason too, which often reduces us to meekness.

When he had spoken the last words in an imploring tone, Rosamond

returned to the chair by his side. His self-blame gave her some hope

that he would attend to her opinion, and she said--

"Why can you not put off having the inventory made? You can send the

men away to-morrow when they come."

"I shall not send them away," said Lydgate, the peremptoriness rising

again. Was it of any use to explain?

"If we left Middlemarch? there would of course be a sale, and that

would do as well."

"But we are not going to leave Middlemarch."

"I am sure, Tertius, it would be much better to do so. Why can we not

go to London? Or near Durham, where your family is known?"

"We can go nowhere without money, Rosamond."

"Your friends would not wish you to be without money. And surely these

odious tradesmen might be made to understand that, and to wait, if you

would make proper representations to them."

"This is idle Rosamond," said Lydgate, angrily. "You must learn to

take my judgment on questions you don't understand. I have made

necessary arrangements, and they must be carried out. As to friends, I

have no expectations whatever from them, and shall not ask them for

anything."

Rosamond sat perfectly still. The thought in her mind was that if she

had known how Lydgate would behave, she would never have married him.

"We have no time to waste now on unnecessary words, dear," said

Lydgate, trying to be gentle again. "There are some details that I

want to consider with you. Dover says he will take a good deal of the

plate back again, and any of the jewellery we like. He really behaves

very well."




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