“Areyouallheretoinsultme？”criedBeckyinafury；
“whenColonelCrawleycomeshomeI’ll——“
Atthistheservantsburstintoahorsehaw-haw，inwhich，however，Raggles，whostillkeptamostmelancholycountenance，didnotjoin。”Heain’tacomingback。”
Mr。Trotterresumed。”Hesentforhisthings，andI
wouldn’tlet’emgo，althoughMr。Raggleswould；andI
don’tb’lievehe’snomoreaColonelthanIam。He’shoff，andIsupposeyou’reagoin’afterhim。You’renobetterthanswindlers，bothonyou。Don’tbeabullyin’
ME。Iwon’tstandit。Payusourselleries，Isay。Payusourselleries。”Itwasevident，fromMr。Trotter’sflushedcountenanceanddefectiveintonation，thathe，too，hadhadrecoursetovinousstimulus。
“Mr。Raggles。”saidBeckyinapassionofvexation。”youwillnotsurelyletmebeinsultedbythatdrunkenman？”“Holdyournoise，Trotter；donow。”saidSimpsonthepage。Hewasaffectedbyhismistress’sdeplorablesituation，andsucceededinpreventinganoutrageousdenialoftheepithet“drunken“onthefootman’spart。
“Oh，M’am。”saidRaggles，“Ineverthoughttolivetoseethisyearday：I’veknowntheCrawleyfamilyeversinceIwasborn。IlivedbutlerwithMissCrawleyforthirtyyears；andIlittlethoughtoneofthatfamilywasagoin’toruingme——yes，ruingme“——saidthepoorfellowwithtearsinhiseyes。”Haryouagoin’topayme？You’velivedinthis’ousefouryear。You’ve’admysubstance：
myplateandlinning。Youhomeamilkandbutterbilloftwo’undredpound，youmust’avenoolaidheggsforyourhomlets，andcreamforyourspanildog。”
“Shedidn’tcarewhatherownfleshandbloodhad。”
interposedthecook。”Many’sthetime，he’dhavestarvedbutforme。”
“He’sacharaty-boynow，Cooky。”saidMr。Trotter，withadrunken“ha！ha！”——andhonestRagglescontinued，inalamentabletone，anenumerationofhisgriefs。Allhesaidwastrue。Beckyandherhusbandhadruinedhim。
Hehadbillscomingduenextweekandnomeanstomeetthem。Hewouldbesoldupandturnedoutofhisshopandhishouse，becausehehadtrustedtotheCrawleyfamily。HistearsandlamentationsmadeBeckymorepeevishthanever。
“Youallseemtobeagainstme。”shesaidbitterly。
“Whatdoyouwant？Ican’tpayyouonSunday。Comebackto-morrowandI’llpayyoueverything。IthoughtColonelCrawleyhadsettledwithyou。Hewillto-morrow。
Ideclaretoyouuponmyhonourthathelefthomethismorningwithfifteenhundredpoundsinhispocket-book。
Hehasleftmenothing。Applytohim。Givemeabonnetandshawlandletmegooutandfindhim。Therewasadifferencebetweenusthismorning。Youallseemtoknowit。Ipromiseyouuponmywordthatyoushallallbepaid。Hehasgotagoodappointment。Letmegooutandfindhim。’’
ThisaudaciousstatementcausedRagglesandtheotherpersonagespresenttolookatoneanotherwithawildsurprise，andwithitRebeccaleftthem。ShewentupstairsanddressedherselfthistimewithouttheaidofherFrenchmaid。ShewentintoRawdon’sroom，andtheresawthatatrunkandbagwerepackedreadyforremoval，withapencildirectionthattheyshouldbegivenwhencalledfor；thenshewentintotheFrenchwoman’sgarret；
everythingwasclean，andallthedrawersemptiedthere。
Shebethoughtherselfofthetrinketswhichhadbeenleftonthegroundandfeltcertainthatthewomanhadfled。
“GoodHeavens！waseversuchillluckasmine？”shesaid；“tobesonear，andtoloseall。Isitalltoolate？”
No；therewasonechancemore。
Shedressedherselfandwentawayunmolestedthistime，butalone。Itwasfouro’clock。Shewentswiftlydownthestreetsshehadnomoneytopayforacarriage，andneverstoppeduntilshecametoSirPittCrawley’sdoor，inGreatGauntStreet。WherewasLadyJaneCrawley？Shewasatchurch。Beckywasnotsorry。
SirPittwasinhisstudy，andhadgivenordersnottobedisturbed——shemustseehim——sheslippedbythesentinelinliveryatonce，andwasinSirPitt’sroombeforetheastonishedBaronethadevenlaiddownthepaper。
Heturnedredandstartedbackfromherwithalookofgreatalarmandhorror。
“Donotlookso。”shesaid。”Iamnotguilty，Pitt，dearPitt；youweremyfriendonce。BeforeGod，Iamnotguilty。Iseemso。Everythingisagainstme。Andoh！atsuchamoment！justwhenallmyhopeswereabouttoberealized：justwhenhappinesswasinstoreforus。”
“Isthistrue，whatIseeinthepaperthen？”SirPittsaid——aparagraphinwhichhadgreatlysurprisedhim。
“Itistrue。LordSteynetoldmeonFridaynight，thenightofthatfatalball。Hehasbeenpromisedanappointmentanytimethesesixmonths。Mr。Martyr，theColonialSecretary，toldhimyesterdaythatitwasmadeout。
Thatunluckyarrestensued；thathorriblemeeting。IwasonlyguiltyoftoomuchdevotednesstoRawdon’sservice。I
havereceivedLordSteynealoneahundredtimesbefore。
IconfessIhadmoneyofwhichRawdonknewnothing。
Don’tyouknowhowcarelessheisofit，andcouldIdaretoconfideittohim？”Andsoshewentonwithaperfectlyconnectedstory，whichshepouredintotheearsofherperplexedkinsman。
Itwastothefollowingeffect。Beckyowned，andwithprefectfrankness，butdeepcontrition，thathavingremarkedLordSteyne’spartialityforheratthementionofwhichPittblushed，andbeingsecureofherownvirtue，shehaddeterminedtoturnthegreatpeer’sattachmenttotheadvantageofherselfandherfamily。”I
lookedforapeerageforyou，Pitt。”shesaidthebrother-
in-lawagainturnedred。”Wehavetalkedaboutit。YourgeniusandLordSteyne’sinterestmadeitmorethanprobable，hadnotthisdreadfulcalamitycometoputanendtoallourhopes。But，first，Iownthatitwasmyobjecttorescuemydearhusband——himwhomIloveinspiteofallhisillusageandsuspicionsofme——toremovehimfromthepovertyandruinwhichwasimpendingoverus。IsawLordSteyne’spartialityforme。”shesaid，castingdownhereyes。”IownthatIdideverythinginmypowertomakemyselfpleasingtohim，andasfarasanhonestwomanmay，tosecurehis——hisesteem。ItwasonlyonFridaymorningthatthenewsarrivedofthedeathoftheGovernorofCoventryIsland，andmyLordinstantlysecuredtheappointmentformydearhusband。
Itwasintendedasasurpriseforhim——hewastoseeitinthepapersto-day。EvenafterthathorridarresttookplacetheexpensesofwhichLordSteynegenerouslysaidhewouldsettle，sothatIwasinamannerpreventedfromcomingtomyhusband’sassistance，myLordwaslaughingwithme，andsayingthatmydearestRawdonwouldbeconsoledwhenhereadofhisappointmentinthepaper，inthatshockingspun——bailiff’shouse。Andthen——thenhecamehome。Hissuspicionswereexcited，——thedreadfulscenetookplacebetweenmyLordandmycruel，cruelRawdon——and，OmyGod，whatwillhappennext？Pitt，dearPitt！pityme，andreconcileus！”
Andasshespokesheflungherselfdownonherknees，andburstingintotears，seizedholdofPitt’shand，whichshekissedpassionately。
ItwasinthisveryattitudethatLadyJane，who，returningfromchurch，rantoherhusband’sroomdirectlysheheardMrs。RawdonCrawleywasclosetedthere，foundtheBaronetandhissister-in-law。
“Iamsurprisedthatwomanhastheaudacitytoenterthishouse。”LadyJanesaid，tremblingineverylimbandturningquitepale。HerLadyshiphadsentouthermaiddirectlyafterbreakfast，whohadcommunicatedwithRagglesandRawdonCrawley’shousehold，whohadtoldherall，andagreatdealmorethantheyknew，ofthatstory，andmanyothersbesides。”HowdareMrs。
Crawleytoenterthehouseof——ofanhonestfamily？”
SirPittstartedback，amazedathiswife’sdisplayofvigour。BeckystillkeptherkneelingpostureandclungtoSirPitt’shand。
“Tellherthatshedoesnotknowall：TellherthatI
aminnocent，dearPitt。”shewhimperedout。
“Upon-myword，mylove，IthinkyoudoMrs。Crawleyinjustice。”SirPittsaid；atwhichspeechRebeccawasvastlyrelieved。”IndeedIbelievehertobe——“
“Tobewhat？”criedoutLadyJane，herclearvoicethrillingand，herheartbeatingviolentlyasshespoke。
“Tobeawickedwoman——aheartlessmother，afalsewife？Sheneverlovedherdearlittleboy，whousedtoflyhereandtellmeofhercrueltytohim。Shenevercameintoafamilybutshestrovetobringmiserywithherandtoweakenthemostsacredaffectionswithherwickedflatteryandfalsehoods。Shehasdeceivedherhusband，asshehasdeceivedeverybody；hersoulisblackwithvanity，worldliness，andallsortsofcrime。ItremblewhenItouchher。Ikeepmychildrenoutofhersight。
“LadyJane！”criedSirPitt，startingup，“thisisreallylanguage——“
“Ihavebeenatrueandfaithfulwifetoyou，SirPitt。”LadyJanecontinued，intrepidly；“IhavekeptmymarriagevowasImadeittoGodandhavebeenobedientandgentleasawifeshould。Butrighteousobediencehasitslimits，andIdeclarethatIwillnotbearthat——thatwomanagainundermyroof；ifsheentersit，Iandmychildrenwillleaveit。SheisnotworthytositdownwithChristianpeople。You——youmustchoose，sir，betweenherandme“；andwiththismyLadysweptoutoftheroom，flutteringwithherownaudacity，andleavingRebeccaandSirPittnotalittleastonishedatit。
AsforBecky，shewasnothurt；nay，shewaspleased。
“Itwasthediamond-claspyougaveme。”shesaidtoSirPitt，reachinghimoutherhand；andbeforeshelefthimforwhicheventyoumaybesuremyLadyJanewaslookingoutfromherdressing-roomwindowintheupperstorytheBaronethadpromisedtogoandseekouthisbrother，andendeavourtobringaboutareconciliation。
Rawdonfoundsomeoftheyoungfellowsoftheregimentseatedinthemess-roomatbreakfast，andwasinducedwithoutmuchdifficultytopartakeofthatmeal，andofthedevilledlegsoffowlsandsoda-waterwithwhichtheseyounggentlemenfortifiedthemselves。Thentheyhadaconversationbefittingthedayandtheirtimeoflife：aboutthenextpigeon-matchatBattersea，withrelativebetsuponRossandOsbaldiston；aboutMademoiselleArianeoftheFrenchOpera，andwhohadlefther，andhowshewasconsoledbyPantherCarr；andaboutthefightbetweentheButcherandthePet，andtheprobabilitiesthatitwasacross。YoungTandyman，aheroofseventeen，laboriouslyendeavouringtogetupapairofmustachios，hadseenthefight，andspokeinthemostscientificmanneraboutthebattleandtheconditionofthemen。ItwashewhohaddriventheButcherontothegroundinhisdragandpassedthewholeofthepreviousnightwithhim。Hadtherenotbeenfoulplayhemusthavewonit。AlltheoldfilesoftheRingwereinit；andTandymanwouldn’tpay；no，dammy，hewouldn’tpay。ItwasbutayearsincetheyoungCornet，nowsoknowingahandinCribb’sparlour，hadastilllingeringlikingfortoffy，andusedtobebirchedatEton。
Sotheywentontalkingaboutdancers，fights，drinking，demireps，untilMacmurdocamedownandjoinedtheboysandtheconversation。Hedidnotappeartothinkthatanyespecialreverencewasduetotheirboyhood；
theoldfellowcutinwithstories，tothefullaschoiceasanytheyoungestrakepresenthadtotell——nordidhisowngreyhairsnortheirsmoothfacesdetainhim。OldMacwasfamousforhisgoodstories。Hewasnotexactlyalady’sman；thatis，menaskedhimtodineratheratthehousesoftheirmistressesthanoftheirmothers。
Therecanscarcelybealifelower，perhaps，thanhis，buthewasquitecontentedwithit，suchasitwas，andleditinperfectgoodnature，simplicity，andmodestyofdemeanour。
BythetimeMachadfinishedacopiousbreakfast，mostoftheothershadconcludedtheirmeal。YoungLordVarinaswassmokinganimmenseMeerschaumpipe，whileCaptainHugueswasemployedwithacigar：thatviolentlittledevilTandyman，withhislittlebull-terrierbetweenhislegs，wastossingforshillingswithallhismightthatfellowwasalwaysatsomegameorother
againstCaptainDeuceace；andMacandRawdonwalkedofftotheClub，neither，ofcourse，havinggivenanyhintofthebusinesswhichwasoccupyingtheirminds。Both，ontheotherhand，hadjoinedprettygailyintheconversation，forwhyshouldtheyinterruptit？Feasting，drinking，ribaldry，laughter，goonalongsideofallsortsofotheroccupationsinVanityFair——thecrowdswerepouringoutofchurchasRawdonandhisfriendpasseddownSt。James’sStreetandenteredintotheirClub。
Theoldbucksandhabitues，whoordinarilystandgapingandgrinningoutofthegreatfrontwindowoftheClub，hadnotarrivedattheirpostsasyet——thenewspaper-roomwasalmostempty。OnemanwaspresentwhomRawdondidnotknow；anothertowhomheowedalittlescoreforwhist，andwhom，inconsequence，hedidnotcaretomeet；athirdwasreadingtheRoyalistaperiodicalfamousforitsscandalanditsattachmenttoChurchandKingSundaypaperatthetable，andlookingupatCrawleywithsomeinterest，said，“Crawley，Icongratulateyou。”
“Whatdoyoumean？”saidtheColonel。
“It’sintheObserverandtheRoyalisttoo。”saidMr。
Smith。
“What？”Rawdoncried，turningveryred。HethoughtthattheaffairwithLordSteynewasalreadyinthepublicprints。SmithlookedupwonderingandsmilingattheagitationwhichtheColonelexhibitedashetookupthepaperand，trembling，begantoread。
Mr。SmithandMr。Brownthegentlemanwith。whomRawdonhadtheoutstandingwhistaccounthadbeentalkingabouttheColoneljustbeforehecamein。
“Itiscomejustinthenickoftime。”saidSmith。”I
supposeCrawleyhadnotashillingintheworld。”
“It’sawindthatblowseverybodygood。”Mr。Brownsaid。”Hecan’tgoawaywithoutpayingmeaponyheowesme。”
“What’sthesalary？”askedSmith。
“Twoorthreethousand。”answeredtheother。”Buttheclimate’ssoinfernal，theydon’tenjoyitlong。
Liverseegediedaftereighteenmonthsofit，andthemanbeforewentoffinsixweeks，Ihear。”
“Somepeoplesayhisbrotherisaverycleverman。I
alwaysfoundhimad——bore。”Smithejaculated。”Hemusthavegoodinterest，though。HemusthavegottheColoneltheplace。”
“He！”saidBrown。withasneer。”Pooh。ItwasLordSteynegotit。
“Howdoyoumean？”
“Avirtuouswomanisacrowntoherhusband。”
answeredtheotherenigmatically，andwenttoreadhispapers。
Rawdon，forhispart，readintheRoyalistthefollowingastonishingparagraph：