the county, unless it was the dean. The younger Lady Lufton, the present
Lord Lufton's wife, had sojourned at one time in Mr Crawley's house,
amidst the Crawley poverty, living as they lived, and nursing Mrs
Crawley through an illness which had wellnigh been fatal to her; and the
younger Lady Lufton believed in Mr Crawley--as Mr Crawley believed in
her.

'It is quite impossible, my dear,' the old woman said to her
daughter-in-law.

'Quite impossible, my lady.' The dowager was always called 'my lady',
both by her daughter and her son's wife, except when in the presence of
their children, when she was addressed as 'grandmamma'. 'Think how well
I knew him. It's no use talking of evidence. No evidence would make me
believe it.'

'Nor me; and I think it a great shame that such a report should be
spread about.'

'I suppose Mr Soames could not help himself?' said the younger lady, who
was not herself very fond of Mr Soames.

'Ludovic says that he has only done what he was obliged to do.' The
Ludovic spoken of was Lord Lufton.

This took place in the morning, but in the evening the affair was again
discussed at Framley Hall. Indeed, for some days, there was hardly any
other subject held to be worthy of discussion in the county. Mr Robarts,
the clergyman of the parish and the brother of the younger Lady Lufton,
was dining at the hall with his wife, and the three ladies had together