“Do not you think him looking very ill,—very much altered?” inquired Maria of her sister, with a quivering lip. “Very unlike himself to-day, certainly. Something has discomposed him. But you must not fancy him more ill than he is. No man varies more from hour to hour, you know. He may be quite a different man to-morrow.” Maria shook her head, and then asked Letitia to observe what they came to see, without delay. She should not like her husband to think they were consulting about his looks. Letitia snatched up the plant in question, and carried it to lord F—— to ask whether there were any of the kind in the Weston greenhouses. “You had better take it with you,” said Waldie. “It requires a greenhouse, and we shall have no greenhouses when we remove.” “Remove!” said his wife faintly. “Remove! yes, my dear. You would not stay here, would you? The blights ruin everything I set my heart upon; and you know I cannot bear to see a house so exposed as ours, with not a tree to cast a particle of shade on any part of it. There is Erpingham’s house, down below, with those fine spreading sycamores beside it ... that is something like a house. We could live there for a lifetime, and never grow tired of it. But you see it will take a lifetime for our clumps to grow roof-high. I shall move into the city.” “Nevertheless we shall find you still here, five years hence,” said lord F——, smiling. “When the blights are over, you will love this pretty place too well to leave it.” “Curse the blights!” was the reply. “You have not been in town to-day, Waldie?” said lord F——. “Then you have probably not heard that I have taken office....” “At the Board of Trade?—Well! I suppose one ought to be glad of it,—I suppose you expect to be congratulated; but, upon my soul, I do not know how to feel upon it. There is such a curse clinging to trade. People talk of the honour and glory of being a British merchant, and of legislating for British merchants. I wish both you and I, my lord, may not find more plague than profit in it.” “I know I am about to encounter much perplexity, Waldie—perhaps some abuse, and certainly, much painful knowledge about the distresses of the country. Nevertheless, I have accepted office—or I should rather say, we have taken office; for Letitia remains in town as long as business detains me here.” “I am glad you allow wives to be official too,” said Letitia, smiling. “Come plague, come profit, brother, it is hardly fair that they should have double the one and only half the other; which is the case when they are shut out from that department of their husbands’ concerns.” “‘Double, double toil and trouble’....” said lord F——. “And watchfulness, and struggle, and woe,” continued Letitia, “when they feel they could solace and help, and are not allowed. When I find I can do neither, I will go down to Weston without another word.” “My dear,” said Waldie, “would you like to take the children down to Weston? I must stay in town, but....”