"What nonsense!" said Mrs. Gibson, with some annoyance. "Lady Harriet
only went to see you out of a desire of amusement. She would only
make fun of Miss Brownings, and those two will be quoting her and
talking about her, just as if she was their intimate friend."
"I don't think she did make fun of them. She really seemed as if she
had been very kind."
"And you suppose you know her ways better than I do who have known
her these fifteen years? I tell you she turns every one into ridicule
who does not belong to her set. Why, she used always to speak of Miss
Brownings as 'Pecksy and Flapsy.'"
"She promised me she would not," said Molly driven to bay.
"Promised you!--Lady Harriet? What do you mean?"
"Only--she spoke of them as Pecksy and Flapsy--and when she talked of
coming to call on me at their house, I asked her not to come if she
was going to--to make fun of them."
"Upon my word! with all my long acquaintance with Lady Harriet, I
should never have ventured on such impertinence."
"I didn't mean it as impertinence," said Molly sturdily. "And I don't
think Lady Harriet took it as such."
"You can't know anything about it. She can put on any kind of
manner."
Just then Squire Hamley came in. It was his first call; and Mrs.
Gibson gave him a graceful welcome, and was quite ready to accept
his apology for its tardiness, and to assure him that she quite
understood the pressure of business on every land-owner who farmed
his own estate. But no such apology was made. He shook her hand
heartily, as a mark of congratulation on her good fortune in having
secured such a prize as his friend Gibson, but said nothing about his
long neglect of duty. Molly, who by this time knew the few strong
expressions of his countenance well, was sure that something was the
matter, and that he was very much disturbed. He hardly attended to
Mrs. Gibson's fluent opening of conversation, for she had already
determined to make a favourable impression on the father of the
handsome young man who was heir to an estate, besides his own
personal agreeableness; but he turned to Molly and, addressing her,
said--almost in a low voice, as if he was making a confidence to her
that he did not intend Mrs. Gibson to hear,--
"Molly, we are all wrong at home! Osborne has lost the fellowship
at Trinity he went back to try for. Then he has gone and failed
miserably in his degree, after all that he said, and that his mother
said; and I, like a fool, went and boasted about my clever son. I
can't understand it. I never expected anything extraordinary from
Roger; but Osborne--! And then it has thrown madam into one of her
bad fits of illness; and she seems to have a fancy for you, child!
Your father came to see her this morning. Poor thing, she's very
poorly, I'm afraid; and she told him how she should like to have you
about her, and he said I might fetch you. You'll come, won't you, my
dear? She's not a poor woman, such as many people think it's the only
charity to be kind to, but she's just as forlorn of woman's care as
if she was poor--worse, I daresay."