beautiful as ever
Lord Torwood had done, and the dejection had gone out of his face and
bearing, when suddenly it returned again; and as Miss Prior was away
from home, I never found out the cause till one day, as I was shopping
at Shinglebay, and was telling the linen draper that Mr. Torwood would
call for the parcel, I saw the lady at the other counter start and turn
round, as if at a sudden shock.

Then I saw the white doe eyes, full of the old pleading expression, and
the lips quivering wistfully, but I only said to myself, "The old arts!
That is what has overthrown Fulk again;" and away I went with a rigid
bow, and said nothing.

There was no exchange of calls. That was not my fault, for we could
not have begun; and we heard that Mrs. Deerhurst said, "The Torwoods
had shown very good taste in retiring from all society, poor things.
Only it was a great mistake to remain in the neighbourhood--so awkward
for everybody!"

Mrs. Cradock was much struck with Emily's sweet looks; but I believe
that Jaquetta told her all about it, and we never met the Deerhursts
there.

In fact they were not intimate, for there must have been a repulsion
between Mrs. Deerhurst and such a woman as Mary Cradock.

The Deerhursts owned a villa on the outskirts of Shinglebay; indeed, I
believe it was the difficulty in letting it that had unwillingly forced
Mrs. Deerhurst home, after having married her second daughter, but not
Emily. She was only a mile and a half from Spinney Lawn, and speedily
became familiar there, being as entirely Hester's counsellor in
etiquette as was Perrault on business. People saw a marked improvement
in elegance from the time she became adviser.

That next winter poor Joel Lea died. I suppose it was merely the
dulness and want of exercise that killed him, for he had lost flesh and
grown languid in manner for months before a low fever set in, and he
had no power to struggle with it.

He had been ill a long time, when he sent a message to beg Mr. Torwood
to come and see him. Jaquetta and I persuaded ourselves that he had
discovered that Perrault had suborned witnesses, or done something that
would falsify the whole trial.

Jaquetta said she should be very glad for Fulk, and if it happened now
little Alured would never feel it; but for her own part, she should
hate to go back to be my lady again. She had never known before what
happiness was.

I could not help laughing. Nobody had ever detected anything