The difficulty was very great and Mary could not see her way through it. She did not go to Dr. Holdenough's house that afternoon, but wrote a very short note to Lady Sarah begging that George might come over and talk to her.
CHAPTER XLVII.
"THAT YOUNG FELLOW IN THERE."
A day or two after this Lord George did call at the deanery, but stayed there only for a minute or two, and on that occasion did not even speak of Mary's return to Manor Cross. He was considerably flurried, and showed his wife the letter which had caused his excitement. It was from his brother, and like most of the Marquis's letters was very short.
"I think you had better come up and see me. I'm not very well. B." That was the entire letter, and he was now on his way to London.
"Do you think it is much, George?"
"He would not write like that unless he were really ill. He has never recovered from the results of that—accident."
Then it occurred to Mary that if the Marquis were to die, and Popenjoy were to die, she would at once be the Marchioness of Brotherton, and that people would say that her father had raised her to the title by—killing the late lord. And it would be so. There was something so horrible in this that she trembled as she thought of it. "Oh, George!"
"It is very—very sad."