It was some such immunity as this that Colonel Norcott enjoyed in his final arrangements--if arrangements they could be called--with Mrs. Bainbridge. In addition to the natural subserviency common to all classes of the animal man, it is hardly to be supposed that the excellent Bridget should have been for so many years housekeeper in a “good family” without entertaining a certain amount of that respect for gentlefolks _per se_, which is so decidedly indicative of her class. With all her strong natural indignation, all her innate, as well as authorised conviction that the man standing there before her was a villain from top to toe, she yet could not divest him in her mind of the false _prestige_ with which mere quality is often unhappily surrounded. Colonel Norcott--a county gentleman--insolent, airy, and well-bred, was still, wicked as he was, to this respectable woman a personage; and being such, she gave him to understand that, as far as his connection with Mrs. John Beacham was concerned, her tongue was sealed. The Colonel expressed his satisfaction at this result of their conference. There was no good, that _he_ could see, in raking up the ashes of the past, and it would be both wrong and cruel to distress Honor with the knowledge of _her mother’s fault_. Of course _he_ was very much annoyed at what had taken place, and if he had found that Honor had been in different circumstances--was in want of pecuniary assistance, in short--he would of course have done what he could to provide for her. “And I hope that you and I will always be good friends, Mrs. Bainbridge,” he wound up by saying; “I’m always to be found. The Bell at Gawthorpe, or Bleak’s Club-house in the Haymarket, are sure places to direct to if you should want to drop me a line.” He held out his hand (taking credit to himself the while for his condescension) to Winny Moriarty’s sister as he spoke, but for the second time within an hour the offered civility was rejected by humbler, though purer, hands than his. In spite of the _apparent_ forgetfulness into which a natural love of gossip had led her, Mrs. Bainbridge was not to be surprised into the condoning of her sister’s wrongs. “The Colonel” had a very pleasant way with him, but that did not set matters right as regarded Winny; and now that she had said her say, and prevented mischief in the event of Colonel Norcott “trying on” his old games with Honor, Mrs. Bainbridge was glad to make her curtsey and depart.