Mrs Hope, or
whether one of Mr Hope's patients that she cared about was very ill, or
whether anybody had been telling her an affecting story, Miss Young
brought them to see that they ought not to wish to know;--that they
should no more desire to read Mrs Hope's thoughts than to look over her
shoulder while she was writing a letter. She was just telling them a
story of a friend of hers who called on an old gentleman, and found him
in very low spirits, with his eyes all red and swollen; and how her
friend did not know whether to take any notice; and how the truth came
out,--that the old gentleman had been reading a touching story:--she was
just coming to the end of this anecdote, when the door opened and
Margaret entered, holding George by the hand. Margaret looked rather
grave, and said--

"I thought I had better come to you first, Maria, for an explanation
which you may be able to give. Do you know who sent little George with
a message to my sister just now? I concluded you did not. George has
been calling at my brother's door, with his papa's and mamma's
compliments, and a request to know what Mrs Hope was crying for
yesterday, at four o'clock."

Maria covered her face with her hands, with as much shame as if she had
been in fault, while "Oh, George!" was reproachfully uttered by the
little girls.

"Matilda," said Miss Young, "I trust you to go straight to your papa,
without saying a word of this to any one else, and to ask him to come
here this moment. I trust you, my dear."

Matilda discharged her trust. She peeped into the drawing-room, and
popped out again without speaking, when she saw papa was no longer
there. She found him in the office, and brought him, without giving any
hint of what had happened. He was full of concern, of course; said that
he could not blame George, though he was certainly much surprised; that
it would be a lesson to him not to use irony with children, since even
the broadest might be thus misunderstood; and that a little family scene
had thus been laid open, which he should hardly regret if it duly
impressed his children with the folly and unkindness of village gossip.
He declared he could not be satisfied without apologising,--well, then,
without explaining, to Mrs Hope how it had happened; and he would do it
through the medium of Mr Hope; for, to say the truth, he was ashamed to
face Mrs Hope till his peace was made. Margaret laughed at this, and
begged him to go home with