ion to-day," quoth Dr.
Humphrey Craig, the doctor of the neighbourhood, as he shook himself out
of his greatcoat and wiped the October mist from his beard, within the
hall of his comfortable house. "Spick and span as usual, and boots as
glossy as if there were no such things as muddy lanes in the world. To
be sure he had his carriage to-day, though."

"His carriage?" The doctor's cheerful little wife was at once all
interest; something in her husband's tone awakened interest.

"He was bringing home that poor girl of his."

"Leonore? Did you speak to them?"

"To him--not to her. We had to stand together on the platform, but I
sheered off directly the train came in. He had told me what he was there
for."

"But you saw Leonore arrive?"

"I saw her, yes,--poor black little thing. There seemed nothing of her
at all beneath her widow's trappings. Handsome trappings they were too;
the furs of a millionairess."

"Did she look----?"

"Rather miserable and frightened. Scared at seeing her father, I
daresay. Bland and civil as the old ruffian is, every one knows how the
girls quake before him. There he was, doing the polite, footman in
attendance, big carriage outside--all to be taken note of as evidence
that Mrs. Godfrey Stubbs was worth it."

"You are always down on that poor old man."

"Can't help it. I hate him."

"I do think you might give him credit for some fatherly feeling."

"I don't--not a ha'porth. Fatherly feeling? Bless my soul, I can never
forget his face at the time of the marriage; it was simply bursting with
greedy exultation, and at what? At getting rid of the poor child to such
a high bidder. Stubbs wasn't a bad fellow, but it would have been all
the same if he had been. Leonore was chucked at his head----"

"Hush--hush!"--Mrs. Craig, with a look of alarm, pointed to the green
baize door which shut off the back regions. "You really should be more
careful, dear; you can be heard in the kitchen, when you speak so
loud."

"Don't care if I am. They know all about it;" but as the doctor had by
this time divested himself of his outer garments, and extracted the
contents of their various pockets, he suffered himself to be drawn into
a side room, his own sanctum, still talking. "Marriages like that are
the very deuce, and the law should forbid them."

"Plenty of girls do marry at eighteen," demurred she.

"Plenty of follies are committed,"--but the gruff voice got no further.

"Come, come, old bear