this Lizzie was quite firm. She had endured Lady Linlithgow for that year
between her father's death and her marriage; she was now beginning to dare
to hope for the enjoyment of the good things which she had won, and the
presence of the dowager countess, "the vulturess," was certainly not one
of these good things. In what her enjoyment was to consist, she had not as
yet quite formed a definite conclusion. She liked jewels. She liked
admiration. She liked the power of being arrogant to those around her. And
she liked good things to eat. But there were other matters that were also
dear to her. She did like music, though it may be doubted whether she
would ever play it or even listen to it alone. She did like reading, and
especially the reading of poetry, though even in this she was false and
pretentious, skipping, pretending to have read, lying about books, and
making up her market of literature for outside admiration at the easiest
possible cost of trouble. And she had some dream of being in love, and
would take delight even in building castles in the air, which she would
people with friends and lovers whom she would make happy with the most
open-hearted benevolence. She had theoretical ideas of life which were not
bad, but in practice she had gained her objects, and she was in a hurry to
have liberty to enjoy them.

There was considerable anxiety in the palace in reference to the future
mode of life of Lady Eustace. Had it not been for that baby-heir, of
course there would have been no cause for interference; but the rights of
that baby were so serious and important that it was almost impossible not
to interfere. The mother, however, gave some little signs that she did not
intend to submit to much interference, and there was no real reason why
she should not be as free as air. But did she really intend to go down to
Portray Castle all alone--that is, with her baby and nurses? This was
ended by an arrangement in accordance with which she was accompanied by
her eldest cousin, Ellinor Greystock, a lady who was just ten years her