'You had better go down, Nora,' said Mrs Trevelyan; 'Mrs Fairfax
will be ever so angry if you keep her waiting.'

Then Nora had gone and the two were alone together. Nora had gone,
and Trevelyan had heard her as she was going and knew that Colonel
Osborne was alone with his wife.

'If you can manage that it will be so nice,' said Mrs Trevelyan,
continuing the conversation.

'My dear Emily,' he said, 'you must not talk of my managing it, or
you will spoil it all.'

He had called them both Emily and Nora when Sir Marmaduke and Lady
Rowley were with them before the marriage, and, taking the liberty
of a very old family friend, had continued the practice. Mrs Trevelyan
was quite aware that she had been so called by him in the presence
of her husband and that her husband had not objected. But that was
now some months ago, before baby was born; and she was aware also
that he had not called her so latterly in presence of her husband.
She thoroughly wished that she knew how to ask him not to do so
again; but the matter was very difficult, as she could not make
such a request without betraying some fear on her husband's part.
The subject which they were now discussing was too important to
her to allow her to dwell upon this trouble at the moment, and so
she permitted him to go on with his speech.

'If I were to manage it, as you call it, which I can't do at all,
it would be a gross job.'