d come down to join the tennis tournament. "The
young people are very keen about it. It begins again in half an hour."

Her gaze rested benevolently upon them both, and, after a momentary
pause, she remarked, looking at Rachel as if she had remembered
something that would serve to keep her distinct from other people.

"You're the remarkable person who doesn't like ginger." But the kindness
of the smile in her rather worn and courageous face made them feel that
although she would scarcely remember them as individuals, she had laid
upon them the burden of the new generation.

"And in that I quite agree with her," said a voice behind; Mrs.
Thornbury had overheard the last few words about not liking ginger.
"It's associated in my mind with a horrid old aunt of ours (poor thing,
she suffered dreadfully, so it isn't fair to call her horrid) who used
to give it to us when we were small, and we never had the courage
to tell her we didn't like it. We just had to put it out in the
shrubbery--she had a big house near Bath."

They began moving slowly across the hall, when they were stopped by the
impact of Evelyn, who dashed into them, as though in running downstairs
to catch them her legs had got beyond her control.

"Well," she exclaimed, with her usual enthusiasm, seizing Rachel by the
arm, "I call this splendid! I guessed it was going to happen from the
very beginning! I saw you two were made for each other. Now you've just
got to tell me all about it--when's it to be, where are you going to
live--are you both tremendously happy?"

But the attention of the group was diverted to Mrs. Elliot, who was
passing them with her eager but uncertain movement, carrying in her
hands a plate and an empty hot-water bottle. She would have passed them,
but Mrs. Thornbury went up and stopped her.

"Thank you, Hughling's better," she replied, in answer to Mrs.
Thornbury's enquiry, "but he's not an easy patient. He wants to know
what his temperature is, and if I tell him he gets anxious, and if I
don't tell him he suspects. You know what men are when they're ill! And
of course there are none of the proper appliances, and, though he
seems very willing and anxious to help" (here she lowered her voice
mysteriously), "one can't feel that Dr. Rodriguez is the same as a
proper doctor. If you would come and see him, Mr. Hewet," she added,
"I know it would cheer him up--lying there in bed all day--and the
flies--But I must go and find Angelo--the