y and speedily, that the
possessor becomes unaware how very recently the notion was received, and
deals with it as an old-established thought. This must be Lady Hunter's
excuse (for no other can be found) for speaking of the plot for burning
Deerbrook church as one of the signs of the times which had alarmed Sir
William and herself of late. She had so digested Mrs Howell's fact by
the time she had reached Mr Tucker's shop, that she thus represented
the case of the charred stick to Mr Tucker without any immediate sting
of conscience for telling a lie. She felt rather uncomfortable when Mr
Jones, the butcher, who had stepped in at Tucker's to discuss the event
of the morning, observed, with deference, but with much decision, that
he was sorry to hear Sir William was made uneasy by the circumstance of
the charred stick having been found, as it seemed to him a very simple
matter to account for. Several of the boys of the village--his own son
John for one--had lately taken to the old sport of whirling round a
lighted stick at the end of a string, to make a circle of fire in the
dark. Sometimes it happened that a spark caught the string; and then
the stick was apt to fly off, nobody knew where. It was an unsafe
sport, certainly; and as such he had forbidden it to his son John: but
there was no doubt in his mind (without defending the sport), that the
stick in question had jerked itself over the churchyard wall, and had
not been put there by anybody;--to say nothing of its having lain so far
from the door (and in the grass, too), that it was difficult to see what
could be expected to catch fire from it. Jones took up his hat from the
counter, saying, that as Sir William was close at hand, he would step
and tell him what he thought would ease his mind about this affair.
This movement laid open to Lady Hunter's mind the enormity of her fib:
and remembering that, as far as she knew, her husband had never heard of
the charred stick, she vigorously interfered to keep Mr Jones where he
was, averring that Sir William had rather hear the explanation from her
than from any person actually resident in Deerbrook. He had his
reasons, and she must insist. Mr Jones bowed; her alarm ceased, and
her compunction gradually died away.

When Mr Tucker had received his orders about the fire-guard (which
occasioned his whispering that there had never been so much need in
Deerbrook of guards against fire as now), Lady Hunter's footman came