e if I
decline entering into the question of whether I did or did not purposely
follow her home. If you wish to be assured that your friend is not an
absolute stranger to me, you now have that assurance; and if you have
anything particular to say to me, I leave you to decide whether the time
has come to say it.'

"He waited, and looked about. I waited, and looked about. He said the
street was hardly a fit place to speak of a delicate subject in. I said
the street was hardly a fit place to speak of a delicate subject in. He
didn't offer to take me to where he lived. I didn't offer to take him
to where I lived. Have you ever seen two strange cats, my dear, nose to
nose on the tiles? If you have, you have seen the parson and me done to
the life.

"'Well, ma'am,' he said, at last, 'shall we go on with our conversation
in spite of circumstances?'

"'Yes, sir,' I said; 'we are both of us, fortunately, of an age to set
circumstances at defiance' (I had seen the old wretch looking at my gray
hair, and satisfying himself that his character was safe if he _was_
seen with me).

"After all this snapping and snarling, we came to the point at last. I
began by telling him that I feared his interest in you was not of the
friendly sort. He admitted that much--of course, in defense of his own
character once more. I next repeated to him everything you had told me
about your proceedings in Somersetshire, when we first found that he was
following us home. Don't be alarmed my dear--I was acting on principle.
If you want to make a dish of lies digestible, always give it a garnish
of truth. Well, having appealed to the reverend gentleman's confidence
in this matter, I next declared that you had become an altered woman
since he had seen you last. I revived that dead wretch, your husband
(without mentioning names, of course), established him (the first place
I thought of) in business at the Brazils, and described a letter which
he had written, offering to forgive his erring wife, if she would repent
and go back to him. I assured the parson that your husband's noble
conduct had softened your obdurate nature; and then, thinking I had
produced the right impression, I came boldly to close quarters with him.
I said, 'At the very time when you met us, sir, my unhappy friend was
speaking in terms of touching, self-reproach of her conduct to the late
Mrs. Armadale. She confided to me her anxiety to make some atonement,
if possible, to Mrs. Armadale