"such shameful
goings on;" they were seen of Samuel Chute, who turned green as he
shrank back out of sight, but followed them afterwards at a distance;
and finally they were seen of Miss Burge, who suddenly shouted into her
brother's private room:

"Oh, Bill, do come and lookye here! Miss Thorne's coming up the drive
along with young Mr Squire Canninge. Muffins and marmalade 'll do for
her, but there's nothing in the house to ask him to eat but cold
mutton."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

THE REV HENRY'S TEMPTATION.

Now it so happened that the Rev Henry Lambent, who had been greatly
troubled in his mind of late concerning what he called parish matters,
was out that very day making a few calls.

The parish matters that troubled him were relative to the schools, about
which he thought more than he had ever thought before. In fact if he
had not allowed his thoughts to dwell upon them, they would have been
directed thereto by his sisters, who had reminded him several times
about the unsatisfactory state of the girls' school.

"I suppose it is useless to say so now, Henry," said Miss Lambent,
"since the new mistress is to be made the _protegee_ of every one in the
place, but I think the sooner she is dismissed the better. If she is
not sent about her business there will be a great scandal in the place,
as sure as my name is Rebecca. What do you think, Beatrice?"

There was a minute's pause before Beatrice replied, and then her words
were uttered in an extremely reserved manner.

"I prefer to say nothing upon the question, for I do not think this
young person of sufficient importance for us to allow her to disturb the
harmony of this peaceful home."

The vicar winced a little, and Beatrice saw it Rebecca's weapon was
clumsy, coarse, blunt and notched; its effect upon him was that of a
dull blow. The weapon of Beatrice, on the contrary, was keen and
incisive. It inflicted a sharp pang, and it was venomed with spiteful
contempt, that rankled in the wound after it was made. The effect was
to produce a couple of red spots on his cheeks, but he said nothing; he
merely thought of "this young person" as he had thought of her a good
deal of late, and by comparison his sisters seemed to be petty,
narrow-minded, and spiteful. He was greatly exercised in mind, too; and
had he been a Roman Catholic priest he would probably have submitted
himself to fastings and other penitential exercises. As it was, he sat
alone and t