And then she thought of a certain evening she had passed at Framley
Court, and acknowledged to herself that there was some pleasure in
looking back to that. Griselda Grantly had been there, and all the
constitutional powers of the two families had been at work to render
easy a process of love-making between her and Lord Lufton. Lucy had
seen and understood it all, without knowing that she understood it,
and had, in a certain degree, suffered from beholding it. She had
placed herself apart, not complaining--painfully conscious of some
inferiority, but, at the same time, almost boasting to herself that
in her own way she was the superior. And then he had come behind
her chair, whispering to her, speaking to her his first words of
kindness and good-nature, and she had resolved that she would be his
friend--his friend, even though Griselda Grantly might be his wife.
What those resolutions were worth had soon become manifest to her.
She had soon confessed to herself the result of that friendship, and
had determined to bear her punishment with courage. But now--
She sate so for about an hour, and would fain have so sat out the
day. But as this could not be, she got up, and having washed her face
and eyes returned to Mrs. Crawley's room.
Pages:
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829