ady Belinda's letter to read. She thinks you have got your heart's
desire. That's _her_ way of looking at it."

Lady Dashwood made no answer.

"I never think lies are amusing," said Mrs. Potten, "when you know they
are lies. But you see, you never said a word. Well, well, so Dr.
Middleton is engaged!"

"Yes, engaged," repeated Lady Dashwood.

"I'm afraid you're tired," said Mrs. Potten. "You did too much
yesterday."

"I'm tired," said Lady Dashwood.

"I always expected," said Mrs. Potten, "that the Warden would have found
some nice, steady, capable country rector's daughter. But I suppose,
being a man as well as a Warden, he fell in love with a pretty face,
eh?" and Mrs. Potten moved as if to go. "Well, she is a lucky girl."

"Very lucky," said Lady Dashwood.

Then Mrs. Potten stared closely with her short-sighted eyes into her
friend's face and saw such resigned miseries there that Mrs. Potten felt
a stirring movement of those superficial emotions of which we have
already spoken.

"I could have wept for her, my dear," said Mrs. Potten, addressing an
imaginary companion as she went through the court of the Warden's
Lodgings to the car, which she had left standing in the street. "I could
have wept for her and for the Warden--poor silly man--and he looks so
wise," she added incredulously. "And," she went on, "she wouldn't say a
word against the girl or against Belinda. Too proud, I suppose."

Just as she was getting into the car Harding was passing. He stopped,
and in his best manner informed her that his wife had told him that the
proceeds of the Sale amounted to ninety-three pounds ten shillings and
threepence.

"Very good," said Mrs. Potten; "excellent!"

"And we are much indebted to our kind friends who patronised the Sale."

Mrs. Potten thought of her Buckinghamshire collar and the shilling
pincushion that she need not have bought.

"I shall tell my wife," said Harding, with much unction, "that you think
it very satisfactory."

It did indeed seem to Mrs. Potten (whose income was in thousands) that
ninety-three pounds, ten shillings and threepence was a very handsome
sum for the purpose of assisting fifty or sixty young mothers of the
present generation.

But she had little time to think of this for just by her, walking past
her from the Lodgings, came Miss Gwendolen Scott. Now, what was Mrs.
Potten to do? Why, congratulate her, of course! The thing had to be
done! She called to Gwendolen, who cam