A week or ten days after this, Alice, when she came down to the breakfast parlour one morning, found herself alone with Mr Bott. It was the fashion at Matching Priory for people to assemble rather late in the day. The nominal hour for breakfast was ten, and none of the ladies of the party were ever seen before that. Some of the gentlemen would breakfast earlier, especially on hunting mornings; and on some occasions the ladies, when they came together, would find themselves altogether deserted by their husbands and brothers. On this day it was fated that Mr Bott alone should represent the sterner sex, and when Alice entered the room he was standing on the rug with his back to the fire, waiting till the appearance of some other guest should give him the sanction necessary for the commencement of his morning meal. Alice, when she saw him, would have retreated had it been possible, for she had learned to dislike him greatly, and was, indeed, almost afraid of him; but she could not do so without making her flight too conspicuous.

“Do you intend to prolong your stay here, Miss Vavasor?” said Mr Bott, taking advantage of the first moment at which she looked up from a letter which she was reading,

“For a few more days, I think,” said Alice.

“Ah! — I’m glad of that. Mr Palliser has pressed me so much to remain till he goes to the Duke’s, that I cannot get away sooner. As I am an unmarried man myself, I can employ my time as well in one place as in another — at this time of the year, at least.”

“You must find that very convenient,” said Alice.

“Yes, it is convenient. You see in my position — Parliamentary position, I mean — I am obliged, as a public man, to act in concert with others. A public man can be of no service unless he is prepared to do that. We must give and take, you know, Miss Vavasor.”

As Miss Vavasor made no remark in answer to this, Mr Bott continued — “I always say to the men of my party — of course I regard myself as belonging to the extreme Radicals.”

“Oh, indeed!” said Alice.

“Yes. I came into Parliament on that understanding; and I have never seen any occasion as yet to change any political opinion that I have expressed. But I always say to the gentlemen with whom I act, that nothing can be done if we don’t give and take. I don’t mind saying to you, Miss Vavasor, that I look upon our friend, Mr Palliser, as the most rising public man in the country. I do, indeed.”

“I am happy to hear you say so,” said his victim, who found herself driven to make some remark.

“And I, as an extreme Radical, do not think I can serve my party better than by keeping in the same boat with him, as long as it will hold the two. ‘He’ll make a Government hack of you,’ a friend of mine said to me the other day. ‘And I’ll make a Manchester school Prime Minister of him,’ I replied. I rather think I know what I’m about, Miss Vavasor.”

“No doubt,” said Alice.

“And so does he — and so does he. Mr Palliser is not the man to be led by the nose by anyone. But it’s a fair system of give and take. You can’t get on in politics without it. What a charming woman is your relative, Lady Glencowrer! I remember well what you said to me the other evening.”

“Do you?” said Alice.

“And I quite agree with you that confidential intercourse regarding dear friends should not be lightly made.”

“Certainly not,” said Alice.

“But there are occasions, Miss Vavasor; there are occasions when the ordinary laws by which we govern our social conduct must be made somewhat elastic.”

“I don’t think this one of them, Mr Bott.”

“Is it not? Just listen to me for one moment, Miss Vavasor. Our friend, Mr Palliser, I am proud to say, relies much upon my humble friendship. Our first connection has, of course, been political; but it has extended beyond that, and has become pleasantly social — I may say, very pleasantly social.”

“What a taste Mr Palliser must have!” Alice thought to herself.

“But I need not tell you that Lady Glencowrer is — very young; we may say, very young indeed.”

“Mr Bott, I will not talk to you about Lady Glencora Palliser.”

This Alice said in a determined voice, and with all the power of resistance at her command. She frowned too, and looked savagely at Mr Bott. But he was a man of considerable courage, and knew how to bear such opposition without flinching.

“When I tell you, Miss Vavasor, that I speak solely with a view to her domestic happiness!”

“I don’t think that she wishes to have any such guardian of her happiness.”

“But if he wishes it, Miss Vavasor! Now I have the means of knowing that he has the greatest reliance on your judgment.”

Hereupon Alice got up with the intention of leaving the room, but she was met at the door by Mrs Conway Sparkes.

“Are you running from your breakfast, Miss Vavasor?” said she.

“No, Mrs Sparkes; I am running from Mr Bott,” said Alice, who was almost beside herself with anger.

“Mr Bott, what is this?” said Mrs Sparkes. “Ha, ha, ha,” laughed Mr Bott.

Alice returned to the room, and Mrs Sparkes immediately saw that she had in truth been running from Mr Bott. “I hope I shall be able to keep the peace,” said she. “I trust his offence was not one that requires special punishment.”

“Ha, ha, ha,” again laughed Mr Bott, who rather liked his position.

Alice was very angry with herself, feeling that she had told more of the truth to Mrs Sparkes than she should have done, unless she was prepared to tell the whole. As it was, she wanted to say something, and did not know what to say; but her confusion was at once stopped by the entrance of Lady Glencora.

“Mrs Sparkes, good morning,‘said Lady Glencora. I hope nobody has waited breakfast. Good morning, Mr Bott. Oh, Alice!”

“What is the matter?” said Alice, going up to her.

“Oh, Alice; such a blow!” But Alice could see that her cousin was not quite in earnest — that the new trouble, though it might be vexatious, was no great calamity. “Come here,” said Lady Glencora; and they both went into an embrasure of the window. “Now I shall have to put your confidence in me to the test. This letter is from — whom do you think?”

“How can I guess?”

“From Lady Midlothian! and she’s coming here on Monday, on her road to London. Unless you tell me that you are quite sure this is as unexpected by me as by you, I will never speak to you again.”

“I am quite sure of that.”

“Ah! then we can consult. But first we’ll go and have some breakfast.” Then more ladies swarmed into the room — the Duchess and her daughter, and the two Miss Pallisers, and others; and Mr Bott had his hands full in attending — or rather in offering to attend, to their little wants.

The morning was nearly gone before Alice and her cousin had any further opportunity of discussing in private the approach of Lady Midlothian; but Mr Palliser had come in among them, and had been told of the good thing which was in store for him. “We shall be delighted to see Lady Midlothian,” said Mr Palliser.

“But there is somebody here who will not be at all delighted to see her,” said Lady Glencora to her husband.

“Is there, indeed?” said he. Who is that?

“Her most undutiful cousin, Alice Vavasor. But, Alice, Mr Palliser knows nothing about it, and it is too long to explain.”

“I am extremely sorry — ” began Mr Palliser.

“I can assure you it does not signify in the least,” said Alice. “It will only be taking me away three days earlier.”

Upon hearing this Mr Palliser looked very serious. What quarrel could Miss Vavasor have had with Lady Midlothian which should make it impossible for them to be visitors at the same house?

“It will do no such thing,” said Lady Glencora. “Do you mean to say that you are coward enough to run away from her?”

“I’m afraid, Miss Vavasor, that we can hardly bid her not come,” said Mr Palliser. In answer to this, Alice protested that she would not for worlds have been the means of keeping Lady Midlothian away from Matching. “I should tell you, Mr Palliser, that I have never seen Lady Midlothian, though she is my far-away cousin. Nor have I ever quarrelled with her. But she has given me advice by letter, and I did not answer her because I thought she had no business to interfere. I shall go away, not because I am afraid of her, but because, after what has passed, our meeting would be unpleasant to her.”

“You could tell her that Miss Vavasor is here,” said Mr Palliser. “And then she need not come unless she pleased.”

The matter was so managed at last that Alice found herself unable to leave Matching without making more of Lady Midlothian’s coming than it was worth. It would undoubtedly be very disagreeable — this unexpected meeting with her relative; but, as Lady Glencora said, Lady Midlothian would not eat her. In truth, she felt ashamed of herself in that she was afraid of her relative. No doubt she was afraid of her. So much she was forced to admit to herself. But she resolved at last that she would not let her fear drive her out of the house.

“Is Mr Bott an admirer of your cousin?” Mrs Sparkes said that evening to Lady Glencora.

“A very distant one, I should think,” said Lady Glencora.

“Goodness gracious!” exclaimed an old lady who had been rather awed by Alice’s intimacy and cousinship with Lady Glencora; “it’s the very last thing I should have dreamt of.”

“But I didn’t dream it, first or last,” said Mrs Sparkes.

“Why do you ask?” said Lady Glencora.

“Don’t suppose that I am asking whether Miss Vavasor is an admirer of his,” said Mrs Sparkes. “I have no suspicion of that nature. I rather think that when he plays Bacchus she plays Ariadne, with the full intention of flying from him in earnest.”

“Is Mr Bott inclined to play Bacchus?” asked Lady Glencora.

“I rather thought he was this morning. If you observe, he has something of a godlike and triumphant air about him.”

“I don’t think his godship will triumph there,” said Lady Glencora.

“I really think she would be throwing herself very much away,” said the old lady.

“Miss Vavasor is not at all disposed to do that,” said Mrs Sparkes. Then that conversation was allowed to drop.

On the following Monday, Lady Midlothian arrived. The carriage was sent to meet her at the station about three o’clock in the afternoon, and Alice had to choose whether she would undergo her first introduction immediately on her relative’s arrival, or whether she would keep herself out of the way till she should meet her in the drawing-room before dinner.

“I shall receive her when she comes,” said Lady Glencora, “and of course will tell her that you are here.”

“Yes, that will be best; and — dear me, I declare I don’t know how to manage it.”

“I’ll bring her to you in my room if you like it.&rdq............