Of course it would be conveyed under the seal of a sacred
promise,--which no doubt would be broken as soon as she reached
the Deanery. On this occasion she called on Miss Altifiorla to ask
questions in reference to "poor Cecilia." With herself and the Dean
and Mrs. Dean there was real sorrow at Cecilia's troubles. And there
was also no mode of acquiring true information. "Do tell me something
about poor Cecilia," said Mrs. Thorne.

"Poor Cecilia, indeed! She is there all alone and sees almost no one.
Of course you've heard that Lady Grant was here."

"We thought it so nice of Lady Grant to come all the way from
Scotland to see her sister-in-law."

"Lady Grant of course is anxious to get her brother to take back his
wife. They haven't a great deal of money among them, and when Mrs.
Holt dies Cecilia's fortune would be a nice addition."

"I don't think Lady Grant can have thought of that," said Mrs.
Thorne.

"Lady Grant would be quite prudent in thinking of it and like the
rest of the world. Her husband was only a regimental officer in India
who got knighted for doing something that came in his way. There
isn't any family property among them, and of course she is anxious."

This solicitude as to "family property" on the part of Miss
Altifiorla did strike Mrs. Thorne as droll. But she went on with her
inquiries. "And what is Cecilia doing?"

"Not very much," said Miss Altifiorla. "What is there for her to do?
Poor girl! She has played her cards so uncommonly badly, when she
took up with Mr. Western after having been dropped by Sir Francis."

"After dropping Sir Francis!"

Miss Altifiorla smiled. Was it likely that Cecilia Holt should have
dropped Sir Francis? "It doesn't much matter now. If it does her
wounded pride good to say so of course she can say it."

"We always believed that it was so at the Deanery."

"At any rate she made a mess of it. And now she has to bear the
fortune which her fates have sent her. I own that I am a little angry
with Cecilia, not for having dropped Sir Francis as you called it,
but for managing her matters so badly with Mr. Western. She seems to
me to have no idea of the sort of duties which fall to the lot of a
wife."

"I should have thought you'd have liked her the better for that,"
said Mrs. Thorne, with a smile.

"Why so? I think you must have misunderstood my theory of life. When
a woman elects to marry, and does so from sheer love and regard for
the man, she should certa