At last it came to be understood among them that they must have some friend to act with them. There could be no doubt who that friend should be. "As to interfering," said Lady Sarah, speaking of the Dean, "he will interfere, whether we ask him to or not. His daughter is as much affected as anybody, and if I understand him he is not the man to see any interest of his own injured by want of care." Lord George shook his head but yielded. He greatly disliked the idea of putting himself into the Dean's hands; of becoming a creature of the Dean's. He felt the Dean to be stronger than himself, endowed with higher spirit and more confident hopes. But he also felt that the Dean was--the son of a stable-keeper. Though he had professed to his brother that he could own the fact without shame, still he was ashamed. It was not the Dean's parentage that troubled him so much as a consciousness of some defect, perhaps only of the absence of some quality, which had been caused by that parentage. The man looked like a gentleman, but still there was a smell of the stable. Feeling this rather than knowing it Lord George resisted for awhile the idea of joining forces with the Dean; but when it was suggested to him as an alternative that he himself must go to Mr. Stokes and explain his suspicions in the lawyer's room, then he agreed that, as a first step, he would consult the Dean. The Dean, no doubt, would have his own lawyer, who would not care a fig for the Marquis. It was thought by them at Cross Hall that the Dean would come over to them, knowing that his son-in-law was in the country; but the Dean did not come, probably waiting for the same compliment from Lord George. On the Friday Lord George rode into Brotherton early, and was at the Deanery by eleven o'clock. "I thought I should see you," said the Dean, in his pleasantest manner. "Of course, I heard from Mary that you were down here. Well;--what do you think of it all?" "It is not pleasant." "If you mean your brother, I am bound to say, that he is very unpleasant. Of course you have seen him?" "Yes; I have seen him." "And her ladyship?" "No. He said that as I do not speak Italian it would be no good." "And he seemed to think," said the Dean, "that as I do speak Italian it would be dangerous. Nobody has seen her then?" "Nobody." "That promises well! And the little lord?" "He was brought down to me." "That was gracious! Well; what of him. Did he look like a Popenjoy?" "He is a nasty little black thing." "I shouldn't wonder." "And looks----. Well, I don't want to abuse the poor child, and God knows, if he is what he pretends to be, I would do anything to serve him."