or thirty pounds
a year, and with good families. She seems to have gone into all sorts of
details, and made elaborate calculations as to what she would be able to
save, "with decent folks, who don't screw, and pinch, and lock up
everything in the house," and then she went off into a lot of
hypocritical nonsense about how fond she was of Alice, and how she
could go to her grave in peace, knowing how happy her dear George would
be with such a good wife, and about her savings from good wages helping
to set up a little home, ending up with "And, if you take an old woman's
advice, deary, it won't be long before you hear the marriage bells."'

'I see,' said Darnell; 'and the upshot of it all is, I suppose, that the
girl is thoroughly dissatisfied?'

'Yes, she is so young and silly. I talked to her, and reminded her of
how nasty old Mrs. Murry had been, and told her that she might change
her place and change for the worse. I think I have persuaded her to
think it over quietly, at all events. Do you know what it is, Edward? I
have an idea. I believe that wicked old woman is trying to get Alice to
leave us, that she may tell her son how changeable she is; and I suppose
she would make up some of her stupid old proverbs: "A changeable wife, a
troublesome life," or some nonsense of the kind. Horrid old thing!'

'Well, well,' said Darnell, 'I hope she won't go, for your sake. It
would be such a bother for you, hunting for a fresh servant.'

He refilled his pipe and smoked placidly, refreshed somewhat after the
emptiness and the burden of the day. The French window was wide open,
and now at last there came a breath of quickening air, distilled by the
night from such trees as still wore green in that arid valley. The song
to which Darnell had listened in rapture, and now the breeze, which even
in that dry, grim suburb still bore the word of the woodland, had
summoned the dream to his eyes, and he meditated over matters that his
lips could not express.

'She must, indeed, be a villainous old woman,' he said at length.

'Old Mrs. Murry? Of course she is; the mischievous old thing! Trying to
take the girl from a comfortable place where she is happy.'

'Yes; and not to like Hampton Court! That shows how bad she must be,
more than anything.'

'It is beautiful, isn't it?'

'I shall never forget the first time I saw it. It was soon after I went
into the City; the first year. I had my holidays in July, and I was
getting such a smal