She had not expected anything; her mind had not
formed any idea of inheritance; and it had not surprised her to hear of
the earl, who was Lady Mary's natural heir, nor to feel herself separated
from the house in which all her previous life had been passed. But there
had been gradually dawning upon her a sense that she had come to a crisis
in her life, and that she must soon be told what was to become of her. It
was not so urgent as that she should ask any questions; but it began to
appear very clearly in her mind that things were not to be with her as
they had been. She had heard the complaints and astonishment of the
servants, to whom Lady Mary had left nothing, with resentment,--Jervis,
who could not marry and take her lodging-house, but must wait until she
had saved more money, and wept to think, after all her devotion, of
having to take another place; and Mrs. Prentiss, the housekeeper, who was
cynical, and expounded Lady Mary's kindness to her servants to be the
issue of a refined selfishness; and Brown, who had sworn subdued oaths,
and had taken the liberty of representing himself to Mary as "in the same
box" with herself. Mary had been angry, very angry at all this; and she
had not by word or look given any one to understand that she felt herself
"in the same box." But yet she had been vaguely anxious, curious,
desiring to know.
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