en a man is popular in society, people prefer to shut their
eyes. I suppose the matter is settled for the present, but you and I
know better than to believe--"

"I beg you will speak for yourself, Mr Leeson," said Mrs Morgan, with
dignity. "I have always had the highest respect for Mr Wentworth."

"Oh, I beg your pardon," said the disagreeable Curate. "I forgot;
almost all the ladies are on Mr Wentworth's side. It appears that
little girl of Elsworthy's has disappeared again; that was all I was
going to say."

And, fortunately for the Curate, Colonel Chiley, who entered the room
at the moment, diverted from him the attention of the lady of the
house; and after that there was no opportunity of broaching the
subject again until dinner was almost over. Then it was perhaps the
All-Souls pudding that warmed Mr Leeson's soul; perhaps he had taken a
little more wine than usual. He took sudden advantage of that curious
little pause which occurs at a well-conducted dinner-table, when the
meal is concluded, and the fruit (considered apparently, in orthodox
circles, a paradisiacal kind of food which needs no blessing) alone
remains to be discussed. As soon as the manner of thanks from the foot
of the table was over, the Curate incautiously rushed in before
anybody else could break the silence, and delivered his latest
information at a high pitch of voice.

"Has anyone heard about the Elsworthys?" said Mr Leeson; "something
fresh has happened there. I hope your verdict yesterday will not be
called in question. The fact is, I believe that the girl has been
taken away again. They say she has gone and left a letter saying that
she is to be made a lady of. I don't know what we are to understand by
that. There was some private service or other going on at St Roque's
very early in the morning. Marriage is a sacrament, you know. Perhaps
Mr Wentworth or his brother--"

"They are a queer family, the Wentworths," said old Mr Western, "and
such lots of them, sir--such lots of them. The old ladies seem to have
settled down here. I am not of their way of thinking, you know, but
they're very good to the poor."

"Mr Frank Wentworth is going to succeed his brother, I suppose," said
Mr Leeson; "it is very lucky for a man who gets himself talked of to
have a family living to fall back upon--"

"No such thing--no such thing," said Mr Proctor, hastily. "Mr Frank
Wentworth means to stay here."

"Dear me!" said the disagreeable Curate, with an