s!" she exclaimed--it was the general exclamation of the
rectory. "Poor Eleanor! Dear Eleanor! What a monstrous injustice
has been done her! Well, it shall all be made up now." And then she
thought of the signora. "What lies people tell," she said to herself.

But people in this matter had told no lies at all.

CHAPTER XLIX

The Beelzebub Colt

When Miss Thorne left the dining-room, Eleanor had formed no intention
of revealing to her what had occurred, but when she was seated beside
her hostess on the sofa, the secret dropped from her almost unawares.
Eleanor was but a bad hypocrite, and she found herself quite unable to
continue talking about Mr. Arabin as though he were a stranger while
her heart was full of him. When Miss Thorne, pursuing her own scheme
with discreet zeal, asked the young widow whether, in her opinion,
it would not be a good thing for Mr. Arabin to get married, she had
nothing for it but to confess the truth. "I suppose it would," said
Eleanor rather sheepishly. Whereupon Miss Thorne amplified on the
idea. "Oh, Miss Thorne," said Eleanor, "he is going to be married: I
am engaged to him."

Now Miss Thorne knew very well that there had been no such engagement
when she had been walking with Mrs. Bold in the morning. She had also
heard enough to be tolerably sure that there had been no preliminaries
to such an engagement. She was, therefore, as we have before
described, taken a little by surprise. But nevertheless, she embraced
her guest and cordially congratulated her.

Eleanor had no opportunity of speaking another word to Mr. Arabin that
evening, except such words as all the world might hear; and these,
as may be supposed, were few enough. Miss Thorne did her best to
leave them in privacy, but Mr. Thorne, who knew nothing of what had
occurred, and another guest, a friend of his, entirely interfered with
her good intentions. So poor Eleanor had to go to bed without one sign
of affection. Her state, nevertheless, was not to be pitied.

The next morning she was up early. It was probable, she thought, that
by going down a little before the usual hour of breakfast she might
find Mr. Arabin alone in the dining-room. Might it not be that he
also would calculate that an interview would thus be possible? Thus
thinking, Eleanor was dressed a full hour before the time fixed in the
Ullathorne household for morning prayers. She did not at once go down.
She was afraid to seem to be too anxious to me