72 The Real Charlotte, 



" I can't well explain the matter to ye now," Charlotte 

 said, turning round and looking portentously upon the sick 

 woman, " but I have it from a sure hand that Peter Joyce is 

 bankrupt, and will be in the courts before the year is out." 



When, a short time afterwards, Julia Duffy lay back 

 among her madder blankets and heard the last sound of 

 Miss Mullen's phaeton wheels die away along the lake road, 

 she felt that the visit had at least provided her with subject 

 for meditation. 



CHAPTER XT. 



Mr. Roderick Lambert's study window gave upon the 

 flower garden, and consequently the high road also came 

 within the sphere of his observations. He had been sitting 

 at his writing-table, since luncheon-time, dealing with a 

 variety of business, and seldom lifting his glossy black head 

 except when some sound in the road attracted his attention. 

 It was not his custom to work after a solid luncheon on a 

 close afternoon, nor was it by any means becoming to his 

 complexion when he did so ; but the second post had 

 brought letters of an unpleasant character that required 

 immediate attention, and the flush on his face was not 

 wholly due to hot beef-steak pie and sherry. It was not 

 only that several of Sir Benjamin's tenants had attended a 

 Land League meeting the Sunday before, and that their 

 religious director had written to inform him that they had 

 there pledged themselves to the Plan of Campaign. That 

 was annoying, but as the May rents were in he had no 

 objection to their amusing themselves as they pleased during 

 the summer ; in fact, from a point of view on which Mr. 

 Lambert dwelt as little as possible even in his own mind, 

 a certain amount of nominal disturbance among the tenants 

 might not come amiss. The thing that was really vexing 

 was the crass obstinacy of his wife's trustees, who had 

 acquainted him with the fact that they were unable to 

 comply with her wish that some of her capital should be 

 sold out. 



It is probably hardly necessary to say that the worthy 

 turkey hen had expressed no such desire. A feeble, " to be 

 sure, Roderick dear ; I daresay it'd be the best thing to do ; 



