asion the moan was not entirely infantine,--Posy's fingers having
been something too strong,--and the case was closed and locked, and
grandpa shook his head.

"But Mrs. Baxter won't be angry," said Posy. Mrs. Baxter was the
housekeeper in the deanery, and had Mr. Harding under her special
charge.

"No, my darling; Mrs. Baxter will not be angry, but we mustn't disturb
the house."

"No," said Posy, with much of important awe in her tone; "we
mustn't disturb the house; must we, grandpapa?" And so she gave
in her adhesion to the closing of the case. But Posy could play
cat's-cradle, and as cat's-cradle did not disturb the house at all,
there was a good deal of cat's-cradle played in those days. Posy's
fingers were so soft and pretty, so small and deft, that the dear old
man delighted in taking the strings from them, and in having them
taken from his own by those tender little digits.

[Illustration: Posy and her Grandpapa.]

On the afternoon after the conversation respecting Grace Crawley
which is recorded in the early part of this chapter, a messenger from
Barchester went over to Plumstead, and part of his mission consisted
of a note from Mrs. Baxter to Mrs. Grantly, beginning, "Honoured
Madam," and informing Mrs. Grantly, among other things, that her
"respected papa," as Mrs. Baxter called him, was not quite so well
as usual; not that Mrs. Baxter thought there was much the matter. Mr
Harding had been to the cathedral service, as was usual with him, but
had come home leaning on a lady's arm, who had thought it well to
stay with him at the door till it had been opened for him. After that
"Miss Posy" had found him asleep, and had been unable,--or if not
unable, unwilling, to wake him. "Miss Posy" had come down to Mrs
Baxter somewhat in a fright, and hence this letter had been written.
Mrs. Baxter thought that there was nothing "to fright" Mrs. Grantly,
and she wasn't sure that she should have written at all only that
Dick was bound to go over to Plumstead with the wool; but as Dick
was going, Mrs. Baxter thought it proper to send her duty, and to say
that to her humble way of thinking perhaps it might be best that Mr
Harding shouldn't go alone to the cathedral every morning. "If the
dear reverend gentleman was to get a tumble, ma'am," said the letter,
"it would be awkward." Then Mrs. Grantly remembered that she had
left her father almost without a greeting on the previous day, and
she resolved that she would go over v