Page:Lady Anne Granard 3.pdf/75

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LADY ANNE GRANARD.
73

to give herself the advantage she expected to reap from her journey."

As this appeared very reasonable, and the weather was rather mild for the season, no objection was made, and Lord Rotheles, confident that the sons-in-law she was about to visit would keep her up to the promise she had given to Sir Edward Hales, and also preserve her from the sin of book-making, he would neither teaze her by exhortations, nor allow her to be harassed by disappointments, and she received from him the two hundred pounds which he considered necessary for her on the present occasion, "and which, after all, poor thing, would do little more than pay the expences of her illness."

Lady Anne left Rotheles Castle on such a terrible morning, that, even after her horses had arrived, both the earl and countess earnestly requested her to stay; but there was nothing cowardly in her nature, and she had a grand point to carry of which they knew nothing—her great object was to be in London, so as to catch the three hundred pounds from Mr. Penrhyn on the morrow, lest he should take the liberty of paying Mr. Palmer, whose money had been due more than six weeks, also to prevent the agent who received her own income at Christmas from exercising any liberty beyond paying her rent.