you might like
to talk to him, William; and if his people are going away to-day, I
daresay he will feel rather lonely to-night." Such was the Jesuitical
aspect in which she represented the flag of truce she was sending. Mr
Morgan was a little startled by action so prompt.

"I should like to hear from Buller first," said the Rector; "he might
like to come to Carlingford himself, for anything I can tell; but, to
be sure, it can do no harm to have Wentworth to dinner," said Mr
Morgan, doubtfully; "only Buller, you know, might wish--and in that
case it might not be worth our trouble to make any change."

In spite of herself, Mrs Morgan's countenance fell; her pretty scheme
of poetic justice, her vision of tasteful and appropriate furniture,
became obscured by a momentary mist. "At least it is only right to ask
him to dinner," she said, in subdued tones, and went to speak to the
cook in a frame of mind more like the common level of human
satisfaction than the exultant and exalted strain to which she had
risen at the first moment. Then she put on a black dress, and went to
call on the Miss Wodehouses, who naturally came into her mind when she
thought of the Perpetual Curate. As she went along Grange Lane she
could not but observe a hackney cab, one of those which belong to the
railway station, lounging--if a cab could ever be said to lounge--in
the direction of Wharfside. Its appearance specially attracted Mrs
Morgan's attention in consequence of the apparition of Elsworthy's
favourite errand-boy, who now and then poked his head furtively
through the window, and seemed to be sitting in state inside. When she
had gone a little further she encountered Wodehouse and Jack
Wentworth, who had just come from paying their visit to the sisters.
The sight of these two revived her sympathies for the lonely women who
had fallen so unexpectedly out of wealth into poverty; but yet she
felt a little difficulty in framing her countenance to be partly
sorrowful and partly congratulatory, as was necessary under these
circumstances; for though she knew nothing of the accident which had
happened that morning, when Lucy and the Perpetual Curate saw each
other alone, she was aware of Miss Wodehouse's special position, and
was sympathetic as became a woman who had "gone through" similar
experiences. When she had got through her visit and was going home, it
struck her with considerable surprise to see the cab still lingering
about the corner of P