y will board for a while, during the hot weather.
They found it very close and uncomfortable in that part of the town, with
the mercury in the eighties."

Miss Panney sat up tall and straight. Her eyes grew bigger and blacker as
with her mental vision she glared upon the situation. Presently she
spoke, and her voice sounded as if she were in a great empty cask, with
her mouth at the bunghole.

"Who did this?" she asked.

Mrs. Tolbridge was glad to talk; it suited her much better at this time
to do the talking than for her companion to do it, and she proceeded
quite volubly.

"Oh, we all thought the change would be an excellent thing for them,
especially for Mrs. Drane, who is not strong; and as they had seen
Cobhurst and were charmed with the place, and as the Haverleys were quite
willing to take them for a little while, it seemed an excellent thing all
round. It was, however, our cook, La Fleur, who was the chief mover in
the matter. She was very much opposed to their staying with Mrs.
Brinkly,--you see she had lived with them and has quite an affection for
them,--and actually went so far as to talk of taking a house in the
country and boarding them herself. And you know, Miss Panney, how bad it
would be for the doctor to lose La Fleur."

"Did the doctor have anything to do with this?" asked Miss Panney.

Now Mrs. Tolbridge did hesitate a little.

"Yes," she said, "he spoke to the Haverleys about it; he thought it would
be an excellent thing for them."

Miss Panney rose, with her face as hard as granite. She drew her shawl
about her shoulders, and took up her fan and bag. Mrs. Tolbridge also
rose, much troubled.

"You must not imagine for a minute, Miss Panney," she said, "that the
doctor had the slightest idea that this removal would annoy you. In fact,
he spoke about consulting you in regard to it, and had he seen you before
the affair was settled, I am sure he would have done so. And you must not
think, either, that the doctor urged the Haverleys to take these ladies,
simply because he wished to keep La Fleur. He values her most highly, but
he thought of others than himself. He spoke particularly of the admirable
influence Mrs. Drane would have on Miriam."

The old lady turned her flashing eyes on Mrs. Tolbridge, and, slightly
lowering her head, she almost screamed these words: "Blow to the top of
the sky Mrs. Drane's influence on Miriam! That is not what I care for."

Then she turned and walked out of