Wives and Daughters: An Every-Day Story
Page 417"I suppose you mean Mr. Preston and Miss Gibson?"
"Why, who told you?" said Mrs. Goodenough, turning round upon her
in surprise. "You can't say as I did. There's many a Molly in
Hollingford, besides her,--though none, perhaps, in such a genteel
station in life. I never named her, I'm sure."
"No. But I know. I could tell my tale too," continued Mrs. Dawes.
"No! could you, really?" said Mrs. Goodenough, very curious and a
little jealous.
"Yes. My uncle Sheepshanks came upon them in the Park Avenue,--he
startled 'em a good deal, he said; and when he taxed Mr. Preston with
being with his sweetheart, he didn't deny it."
ladies, I wouldn't wish to do the girl an unkind turn,--so you must
keep what I've got to tell you a secret." Of course they promised;
that was easy.
"My Hannah, as married Tom Oakes, and lives in Pearson's Lane,
was a-gathering of damsons only a week ago, and Molly Gibson was
a-walking fast down the lane,--quite in a hurry like to meet some
one,--and Hannah's little Anna-Maria fell down, and Molly (who's a
kind-hearted lass enough) picked her up; so if Hannah had had her
doubts before, she had none then."
"But there was no one with her, was there?" asked one of the ladies,
just at this crisis.
"No: I said she looked as if she was going to meet some one,--and
by-and-by comes Mr. Preston running out of the wood just beyond
Hannah's, and says he, 'A cup of water, please, good woman, for a
lady has fainted, or is 'sterical or something.' Now though he didn't
know Hannah, Hannah knew him. 'More folks know Tom Fool, than Tom
Fool knows,' asking Mr. Preston's pardon; for he's no fool whatever
he be. And I could tell you more,--and what I've seed with my
own eyes. I seed her give him a letter in Grinstead's shop, only
yesterday, and he looked as black as thunder at her, for he seed me
"It's a very suitable kind of thing," said Miss Airy; "why do they
make such a mystery of it?"
"Some folks like it," said Mrs. Dawes; "it adds zest to it all, to do
their courting underhand."
"Ay, it's like salt to their victual," put in Mrs. Goodenough. "But I
didn't think Molly Gibson was one of that sort, I didn't."
"The Gibsons hold themselves very high?" cried Mrs. Dawes, more as an
inquiry than an assertion. "Mrs. Gibson has called upon me."