But Rawdon would not hear of it. "She has kep money concealed from me

these ten years," he said "She swore, last night only, she had none

from Steyne. She knew it was all up, directly I found it. If she's

not guilty, Pitt, she's as bad as guilty, and I'll never see her

again--never." His head sank down on his chest as he spoke the words,

and he looked quite broken and sad.

"Poor old boy," Macmurdo said, shaking his head.

Rawdon Crawley resisted for some time the idea of taking the place

which had been procured for him by so odious a patron, and was also for

removing the boy from the school where Lord Steyne's interest had

placed him. He was induced, however, to acquiesce in these benefits by

the entreaties of his brother and Macmurdo, but mainly by the latter,

pointing out to him what a fury Steyne would be in to think that his

enemy's fortune was made through his means.

When the Marquis of Steyne came abroad after his accident, the Colonial

Secretary bowed up to him and congratulated himself and the Service

upon having made so excellent an appointment. These congratulations

were received with a degree of gratitude which may be imagined on the

part of Lord Steyne.

The secret of the rencontre between him and Colonel Crawley was buried

in the profoundest oblivion, as Wenham said; that is, by the seconds

and the principals. But before that evening was over it was talked of

at fifty dinner-tables in Vanity Fair. Little Cackleby himself went to

seven evening parties and told the story with comments and emendations

at each place. How Mrs. Washington White revelled in it! The

Bishopess of Ealing was shocked beyond expression; the Bishop went and

wrote his name down in the visiting-book at Gaunt House that very day.

Little Southdown was sorry; so you may be sure was his sister Lady

Jane, very sorry. Lady Southdown wrote it off to her other daughter at

the Cape of Good Hope. It was town-talk for at least three days, and

was only kept out of the newspapers by the exertions of Mr. Wagg,

acting upon a hint from Mr. Wenham.

The bailiffs and brokers seized upon poor Raggles in Curzon Street, and

the late fair tenant of that poor little mansion was in the

meanwhile--where? Who cared! Who asked after a day or two? Was she

guilty or not? We all know how charitable the world is, and how the

verdict of Vanity Fair goes when there is a doubt. Some people said

she had gone to Naples in pursuit of Lord Steyne, whilst others averred

that his Lordship quitted that city and fled to Palermo on hearing of

Becky's arrival; some said she was living in Bierstadt, and had become

a dame d'honneur to the Queen of Bulgaria; some that she was at

Boulogne; and others, at a boarding-house at Cheltenham.




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