sed.

Elizabeth looked unduly startled. 'Oo with? Don't say it's that there
Miss 'Arringay 'oo wos a-settin' 'er cap so 'ard at 'im the other
night?'

I was a little taken aback. 'Yes, that's about it,' I confessed.

'Well, upon my soul, the sorcy baggage,' burst out Elizabeth with
unexpected wrath, 'such imperence after me workin' an' plannin' the way
I 'ave. But she shan't 'ave 'im. Look 'ere, 'm, Miss Marryun is just
the one fer 'im. Can't it be brought off like?'

I pondered. 'I'll do my best, Elizabeth. If, as you say, he has
formed such a strong attachment to Miss Marion, I should like to see
them both happy. You say he was particularly anxious to have her
photograph?'

I almost imagined at that moment Elizabeth avoided my eye. 'Very
pertickler,' she retorted in a muffled voice.

'Very well, then. I, myself, will restore the photo he replaced. It
will be the first step to an understanding between them.'

I left the kitchen smiling complacently, feeling that my latest
matrimonial scheme for Marion was going to be the easiest I had ever
attempted.

Alas! I was reckoning, as the saying is, without my host. The host in
this case was Gladys.

CHAPTER XVII

Everything went wrong with my plans from the first. For instance,
Marion, the central figure in the plot, went away suddenly to nurse a
sick great-aunt. William now became so engrossed with Gladys that he
talked of very little else. Thus Henry and I would have avoided him at
this stage, if possible; it was not possible, however, to avoid him.
We saw more of him than ever. I will explain why.

William was one of those lovers who are terrified of being over-bold or
too confident, lest by their presumption they might alarm the timid
object of their affections. He needn't have been afraid of wooing
Gladys. She flung herself at his head rather obviously, but he seemed
so obtuse she must have found him irritating at times. Thus, instead
of calling upon her or asking her to meet him by appointment, or
arranging an evening at the theatre and otherwise behaving in a
sensible manner, he hung about her house, endeavouring to come upon her
'by chance.' Further, having met her at our place he seemed to be
under the impression that she was one of my closest friends, and came
to see me every day, judging by the times he 'dropped in' in the
obvious anticipation of meeting her. Not finding his quarry, he talked
about her to Henry, though I