All this left so vivid an impression of the wisdom of his friend on the mind of Sextus Parker, that in spite of the harrowing fears by which he had been tormented on more than one occasion already, he allowed himself to be persuaded into certain fiscal arrangements, by which Lopez would find himself put at ease with reference to money at any rate for the next four months.He had at once told himself that this election would cost him 1,000pounds.When various sums were mentioned in reference to such an affair, safety alone could be found in taking the outside sum;--perhaps might generally be more securely found by adding fifty per cent to that.He knew that he was wrong about the election, but he assured himself that he had had no alternative.The misfortune had been that the Duke should have made his proclamation about the borough immediately after the offer made by the Duchess.He had been almost forced to send the agent down to inquire;--and the agent, when making his inquiries, had compromised him.He must go on with it now.Perhaps some idea of the pleasantness of increased intimacy with the Duchess of Omnium encouraged him in his way of thinking.The Duchess was up in town in February, and Lopez left a card in Carlton Terrace.
On the very next day the card of the Duchess was left for Mrs Lopez at the Belgrave Mansions.
Lopez went into the city every day, leaving home at about eleven o'clock, and not returning much before dinner.The young wife at first found that she hardly knew what to do with her time.Her aunt, Mrs Roby, was distasteful to her.She had already learned from her husband that he had but little respect for Mrs Roby.
'You remember the sapphire brooch,' he said once.'That was part of the price I had to pay for being allowed to approach you.' He was sitting at the time with his hand round her waist, looking out on the beautiful scenery and talking of his old difficulties.
She could not find it in her heart to be angry with him, but the idea brought to her mind was disagreeable to her.And she was thoroughly angry with Mrs Roby.Of course in these days Mrs Roby.
came to see her, and of course when she was up in Manchester Square, she went to the house round the corner,--but there was no close intimacy between the aunt and the niece.And many of her father's friends,--whom she regarded as the Hertfordshire set,--were very cold to her.She had not made herself a glory to Hertfordshire, and,--as all these people said,--had broken the heart of the best Hertfordshire young man of the day.This made a great falling-off in her acquaintance, which was the more felt as she had never been, as a girl, devoted to a large circle of dearest female friends.She whom she had loved best had been Mary Wharton, and Mary Wharton had refused to be her bridesmaid almost without an expression of regret.She saw her father occasionally.Once he came and dined with them at their rooms, on which occasion Lopez struggled hard to make up a well-sounding party.There were Roby from the Admiralty, and the Happertons, and Sir Timothy Beeswax, with whom Lopez had become acquainted at Gatherum, and old Lord Mongrober.But the barrister, who had dined out a good deal in his time, perceived the effort.Who, that ever with difficulty scraped his dinner guests together, was able afterwards to obliterate the signs of the struggle? It was, however, a first attempt, and Lopez, whose courage was good, thought that he might do better before long.If he could get into the House and make his mark there people then would dine with him fast enough.But while that was going on Emily's life was rather dull.He had provided her with a brougham, and everything around her was even luxurious, but there came upon her gradually a feeling that by her marriage she had divided herself from her own people.She did not for a moment allow this feeling to interfere with her loyalty to him.Had she not known that this division would surely take place? Had she not married him because she loved him better than her own people? So she sat herself down to read Dante,--for they had studied Italian together during their honeymoon, and she found that he knew the language well.And she was busy with her needle.And she already began to anticipate the happiness which would come to her when a child of his should be lying in her arms.
She was of course much interested about the election.Nothing could as yet be done, because as yet there was no vacancy; but still the subject was discussed daily between them.'Who do you think is going to stand against me?' he said one day with a smile.'A very old friend of yours.' She knew at once who the man was and the blood came to her face.'I think he might as well have left it alone, you know,' he said.
'Did he know?' she asked in a whisper.
'Know;--of course he knew.He is doing it on purpose.But Ibeat him once, old girl, didn't I? And I'll beat him again.'
She liked him to call her old girl.She loved the perfect intimacy with which he treated her.But there was something which grated against her feelings in the allusion by him to the other man who had loved her.Of course she had told him the whole story.She had conceived it to be her duty to do so.But then the thing should have been over.It was necessary, perhaps, that he should tell her who was his opponent.It was impossible that she should not know when the fight came.But she did not like to hear that he had beaten Arthur Fletcher once, and that he would beat him again.By doing so he likened the sweet fragrance of her love to the dirty turmoil of an electioneering contest.
