dded sternly, "he frequented such places of amusement. But he said
he could not have enjoyed a ballet properly with me looking on. His
feelings were singularly delicate." "I am afraid people must be
talking about dear Mary a good deal, canon," said Miss Crewys,
whisking a ball of wool from the floor to her knee with much
dexterity.

Her keen eyes gleamed at her visitor through her spectacles, though
her fingers never stopped for a moment.

"I hope not. I've heard nothing."

"My experience of men," said Lady Belstone, "is that they never _do_
hear anything. But a widow cannot be too cautious in her behaviour.
All eyes are fixed, I know not why, upon a widow," she added modestly.

"We do our best to guard dear Mary's reputation," said Miss Crewys.

The impetuous canon sprang to his feet with a half-uttered
exclamation; then recollecting the age and temperament of the speaker,
he checked himself and tried to laugh.

"I do not know," he said, "who has said, or ever could say, one single
word against that--against our dear and sweet Lady Mary. But if there
_is_ any one, I can only say that such word had better not be uttered
in my presence, that's all."

"Dear me, Canon Birch, you excite yourself very unnecessarily," said
Lady Belstone, with assumed surprise. "You are just confirming our
suspicions."

"What suspicions?" almost shouted the canon,

"That our dear Lady Mary's extraordinary partiality for our cousin
John has _not_ escaped the observation of a censorious world."

"Though we have done our best never to leave him alone with her for a
single moment," interpolated Miss Crewys.

The canon turned rather pale. "There can be no question of censure,"
he said. "Lady Mary is a very charming and beautiful woman. Who could
dare to blame her if she contemplated such a step as--as a second
marriage?"

"A second marriage! We said nothing of a second marriage," said Lady
Belstone, sharply. "You go a great deal too fast, canon. Luckily, our
poor Mary is debarred from any such act of folly. I have no patience
with widows who re-marry."

"Debarred from a second marriage!"

"Is it possible you don't know?"

The sisters exchanged meaning glances.

He looked from one to the other in bewilderment.

"If our sister-in-law remarries," said Miss Crewys, "she forfeits the
whole of her jointure."

"Is that all?" he cried.

"Is that all!" echoed Miss Crewys, much offended. "It is no less than
two thousand a year. In m