d been sent.

"It will be posted before the funeral," she thought; "I'm glad--it
will all end together--poor father!"

She went down-stairs and gave the letter to the postman. Mrs.
Polkington came into the kitchen as she was doing so, for Mrs.
Polkington was at the cottage now.

There are some women who seem designed by nature for widows, just as
there are others designed for grandmothers and yet others for old
maids. Mrs. Polkington was of the first sort; she seemed specially
created to adorn the position of widow-hood; she certainly did adorn
it; she was a pattern to all widows and did not miss a single point of
the situation. Of course she came to the cottage as soon as possible
after receiving news of her husband's death. The journey was long and
expensive, the weather somewhat bad; that weighed for nothing with
her; she was there as soon as might be, feeling, saying and doing just
what a bereaved widow ought. The fact that she and her husband had
been obliged through the force of circumstances, to live separate the
past year did not alter her emotions, her real tears or her real
grief. Considering the practice and experience she had had it would
have been surprising if she had not succeeded in deceiving herself as
well as most of her world in these things. So acute were her feelings
that when she came into the kitchen and saw Julia dispatching the
letter, she felt quite a shock.

"What is it?" she asked; "What is the matter?"

"Only a letter that could not wait," Julia answered.

"Surely it could have waited till to-morrow," her mother said; "under
the circumstances surely one would be excused."

Julia thought differently but did not say so, and in silence set about
some necessary preparation.

The Reverend Richard Frazer came to the funeral; Violet was unable to
do so; he represented her and supported his mother-in-law too. The
banker, Mr. Ponsonby, also made the tedious journey to Halgrave; he
came out of respect for death in the abstract, and also because he
expected affairs would want looking to, and it would suit him better
to do it now than later. These two with Johnny, Julia and her mother,
were the only mourners at the funeral; a few village folk, moved by
curiosity, attended, but no one else; there was not even an empty
carriage, representative of a good family, following the humble
cortege. Mrs. Polkington observed this and felt it; an empty carriage
and good livery following would have given he