People who have lived together for some years generally know
pretty well what each will think and say about a subject be-
fore it has been the subject of open conversation between
them ; and since Philip Stanbume was now treated as a near
relation at Wenderholme, it was clear that her ladyship would
be a good deal put out if she heard pf his intended misalli-
ance. The Colonel himself was by no means democratic in
his aboriginal instincts ; but after his experience of married
life, the one quality in Lady Helena which he would most
willingly have done without was her rank, with its concomi-
tant inconveniences. He did not now feel merely indifferent
to rank, he positively disliked it ; and with his present views,
Alice Stedman's humble origin seemed a guarantee of immu-
nity from many of the perils which were most dangerous to
his own domestic peace. But Lady Helena (as he felt in-
stinctively, without needing to give to his thought the con-
sistency of words and phrases) was still in that state of mind
which is natural to every one who is born with the advantages
of rank — the state of mind which values rank too highly to
sacrifice it willingly, or to see any relation sacrifice it without
protesting against his folly. Hers would be the natural and
rational view of the matter ; the common-sense view ; the
view which in all classes who have rank of any sort to main-
tain (and what class has not ?) has ever been recognized, has
ever persisted and prevailed. The Colonel did not go so far
as to wish that he had married some other person of humble
provincial rank ; but he often wished that Lady Helena her-
self had been the daughter of some small squire, or country
clergyman, or cotton-spinner, if he had brought her up as



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Chap, xxvl More Fireworks. 227

nicely as Alice Stedman had been brought up. It was not to
be expected that she could ever share this opinion about her-
self, or the opinion about Alice Stedman, which was merely a
reflection of it.
