Harry, who was sitting on the other side of Florence, heard this, and would have preferred that Florence should have said nothing about her sisters.

"Why, Harry," said the baronet, "if you will go into partnership with your father-in-law and all your brothers-in-law you could stand against the world." "You might add my four brothers," said Florence, who saw no shame in the fact that they were all engaged in the same business.
"Good heaven!" exclaimed Sir Hugh, and after that he did not say much more to Florence.
The rector had taken Lady Clavering in to dinner, and they two did manage to carry on between them some conversation respecting the parish affairs.

Lady Clavering was not active among the poor--nor was the rector himself, and perhaps neither of them knew how little the other did; but they could talk Clavering talk, and the parson was willing to take for granted his neighbor's good will to make herself agreeable.

But Mrs.Clavering, who sat between Sir Hugh and Archie, had a very bad time of it.

Sir Hugh spoke to her once during the dinner, saying that he hoped she was satisfied with her daughter's marriage; but even this he said in a tone that seemed to imply that any such satisfaction must rest on very poor grounds.