ut she did not approve of it. She told herself
silently that she did not approve of persecution or of interference.
She therefore drew herself up, and pursed her mouth, and put on
something of that look of severity which she could assume very
visibly, if it so pleased her.

"Yes; she is still there, and I think that her visit will do her a
great deal of good," said Lady Lufton.

"When we talk of doing good to people," said the archdeacon, "we
often make terrible mistakes. It so often happens that we don't know
when we are doing good and when we are doing harm."

"That is true, of course, Dr. Grantly, and must be so necessarily, as
our wisdom here below is so very limited. But I should think,--as
far as I can see, that is,--that the kindness which my friend Mrs
Robarts is showing to this young lady must be beneficial. You know,
archdeacon, I explained to you before that I could not quite agree
with you in what you said as to leaving these people alone till after
the trial. I thought that help was necessary to them at once."

The archdeacon sighed deeply. He ought to have been somewhat
renovated in spirit by the tone in which Lady Lufton spoke to him,
as it conveyed to him almost an absolute conviction that his first
suspicion was incorrect. But any comfort which might have come to him
from this source was marred by the feeling that he must announce his
own disgrace. At any rate, he must do so, unless he were contented to
go back to Plumstead without having learned anything by his journey.
He changed the tone of his voice, however, and asked a question,--as
it might be altogether on a different subject. "I heard yesterday,"
he said, "that Henry was over here."

"He was here yesterday. He came the evening before, and dined and
slept here, and went home yesterday morning."

"Was Miss Crawley with you that evening?"

"Miss Crawley? No; she would not come. She thinks it best not to go
out while her father is in his present unfortunate position; and she
is right."

"She is quite right in that," said the archdeacon; and then he paused
again. He thought that it would be best for him to make a clean
breast of it, and to trust to Lady Lufton's sympathy. "Did Henry go
up to the parsonage?" he asked.

But still Lady Lufton did not suspect the truth. "I think he did,"
she replied, with an air of surprise. "I think I heard that he went
up there to call on Mrs. Robarts after breakfast."

"No, Lady Lufton, he did not go up