Yours most affectionately,
Dorothy Stanbury.
Give my best, best love to Nora’
LADY ROWLEY CONQUERED
When the Rowleys were back in London, and began to
employ themselves on the terrible work of making ready
for their journey to the Islands, Lady Rowley gradually
gave way about Hugh Stanbury. She had become
aware that Nora would not go back with them unless
under an amount of pressure which she would find it
impossible to use. And if Nora did not go out
to the Islands, what was to become of her unless she
married this man? Sir Marmaduke, when all was
explained to him, declared that a girl must do what
her parents ordered her to do. ’Other girls
live with their fathers and mothers, and so must she.’
Lady Rowley endeavoured to explain that other girls
lived with their fathers and mothers, because they
found themselves in established homes from which they
are not disposed to run away; but Nora’s position
was, as she alleged, very different. Nora’s
home had latterly been with her sister, and it was
hardly to be expected that the parental authority should
not find itself impaired by the interregnum which
had taken place. Sir Marmaduke would not see
the thing in the same light, and was disposed to treat
his daughter with a high hand. If she would not
do as she was bidden, she should no longer be daughter
of his. In answer to this Lady Rowley could only
repeat her conviction that Nora would not go out to
the Mandarins; and that as for disinheriting her,
casting her out, cursing her, and the rest, she had
no belief in such doings at all. ’On the
stage they do such things as that’ she said;
’and, perhaps, they used to do it once in reality.
But you know that it’s out of the question now.
Fancy your standing up and cursing at the dear girl,
just as we are all starting from Southampton!’
Sir Marmaduke knew as well as his wife that it would
be impossible, and only muttered something about the
‘dear girl’ behaving herself with great
impropriety.
They were all aware that Nora was not going to leave
England, because no berth had been taken for her on
board the ship, and because, while the other girls
were preparing for their long voyage, no preparations
were made for her. Of course she was not going.
Sir Marmaduke would probably have given way altogether
immediately on his return to London, had he not discussed
the matter with his friend Colonel Osborne. It
became, of course, his duty to make some inquiry as
to the Stanbury family, and he knew that Osborne had
visited Mrs Stanbury when he made his unfortunate
pilgrimage to the porch of Cockchaffington Church.
He told Osborne the whole story of Nora’s engagement,
telling also that other most heart-breaking tale of
her conduct in regard to Mr Glascock, and asked the
Colonel what he thought about the Stanburys. Now
the Colonel did not hold the Stanburys in high esteem.
He had met Hugh, as the reader may perhaps remember,
and had had some intercourse with the young man, which
had not been quite agreeable to him, on the platform
of the railway station at Exeter. And he had also
heard something of the ladies at Nuncombe Putney during
his short sojourn at the house of Mrs Crocket.
‘My belief is, they are beggars,’ said
Colonel Osborne.
