e been called
old and unsuitable--for that was, in truth, the case; to hear herself
accused of being courted solely for her money, and that when in truth
she had not been courted at all; to have been informed that a lover
for her must have been impossible in those days when she had no
money! was not all this enough to make her cry? And then, was it the
truth that Mr Maguire ought to marry some one else? If so, she was
the last woman in Littlebath to interfere between him and that other
one. But how was she to know that this was not some villainy on the
part of Mrs Stumfold? She felt sure, after what she had now seen and
heard, that nothing in that way would be too bad for Mrs Stumfold to
say or do. She never would go to Mrs Stumfold's house again; that
was a matter of course; but what should she do about Mr Maguire? Mr
Maguire might never speak to her in the way of affection,--probably
never would do so; that she could bear; but how was she to bear the
fact that every Stumfoldian in Littlebath would know all about it?
On one thing she finally resolved, that if ever Mr Maguire spoke to
her on the subject, she would tell him everything that had occurred.
After that she cried herself to sleep.

On that afternoon she felt herself to be very desolate and much in
want of a friend. When Susanna came back from school in the evening
she was almost more desolate than before. She could say nothing of
her troubles to one so young, nor yet could she shake off the thought
of them. She had been bold enough while Mrs Stumfold had been with
her, but now that she was alone, or almost worse than alone, having
Susanna with her,--now that the reaction had come, she began to tell
herself that a continuation of this solitary life would be impossible
to her. How was she to live if she was to be trampled upon in this
way? Was it not almost necessary that she should leave Littlebath?
And yet if she were to leave Littlebath, whither should she go, and
how should she muster courage to begin everything over again? If only
it had been given her to have one friend,--one female friend to whom
she could have told everything! She thought of Miss Baker, but Miss
Baker was a staunch Stumfoldian; and what did she know of Miss Baker
that gave her any right to trouble Miss Baker on such a subject? She
would almost rather have gone to Miss Todd, if she had dared.

She laid awake crying half the night. Nothing of the kind had
ever occurred to her before. No