sphere of her mother. No, Diana
must marry a rich young farmer; Will Flandin would just do; a man who
would not dislike or be anywise averse to receive such a mother-in-law
into his house, but reckon it an added advantage. Then her home would
be secure, and her continued rule; and ruling was as necessary to Mrs.
Starling as eating. She would have a larger house and business to
manage, and withal need not do herself more than she chose; having
Diana, she would be sure of everything else she wanted. Now she had
lost Diana. And only to a poor parson when all was done! Would it have
been better to let her marry the officer? For Mrs. Starling had a
shrewd guess that such would have been the issue of things if she had
let them alone. Diana could not so have been more out of her power or
out of her sphere; for Mrs. Starling had a certain assured
consciousness that she would not "fit" in the minister's family, and
that, gentle as he was, he would rule his house and his wife himself.
She sat brooding, hardly hearing what was said by either of the others:
and indeed, the discourse was not very lively; till Mr. Masters rose
and bade them good night. And then Mrs. Starling still went on musing.
Why had she not interfered at the right moment, to put a stop to this
affair? She had let the moment go, and the thought vexed her; and her
mood was not at all sweetened by the lurking doubt whether she could
have stopped it if she had tried. Mrs. Starling could not abide to meet
with her match, and sorely hated her match when she found it. What if
she were to tell Diana of those letters of Evan? But then Diana would
be off to the ends of the earth with _him_. Better keep her in the
village, perhaps. Mrs. Starling grew more and more impatient.

"Diana, you are a big fool!" she burst out.

Diana at that moment thought _not_. She did not answer. Both were
sitting before the wide fireplace, and Diana had not moved since Mr.
Masters left them.

"What sort of a life do you expect you are going to have?"

"I don't know, mother."

"You, who might marry the richest man in town!--And live in plenty, and
have just your own way, and everything you want! You _are_ a fool I Do
you know what it means to be a poor minister's wife?"

"I shall know, I suppose. That is, if Mr. Masters is poor. I don't know
whether he is or not."

"He is of course! They all are."

"Well, mother. You have taught me how to keep house on a little."

"Yes, you and me; t