She was of the world, worldly. It in no way disgusted her that Sir
Lionel was an old rip, and that she knew him to be so. There were a
great many old male rips at Littlebath and elsewhere. Miss Todd's
path in life had brought her across more than one or two such. She
encountered them without horror, welcomed them without shame, and
spoke of them with a laugh rather than a shudder. Her idea was, that
such a rip as Sir Lionel would best mend his manners by marriage; by
marriage, but not with her. She knew better than trust herself to any
Sir Lionel.

And she had encountered old female rips; that is, if dishonesty in
money-dealings, selfishness, coarseness, vanity, absence of religion,
and false pretences, when joined to age, may be held as constituting
an old female rip. Many such had been around her frequently. She
would laugh with them, feed them, call on them, lose her money to
them, and feel herself no whit degraded. Such company brought on her
no conviction of shame. But yet she was not of them. Coarse she was;
but neither dishonest, nor selfish, nor vain, nor irreligious, nor
false.

Such being the nature of the woman, she had not found it necessary to
display any indignation when Sir Lionel made his offer; but she did
feel angry with him on Miss Baker's behalf. Why had he deceived that
woman, and made an ass of himself? Had he had any wit, any knowledge
of character, he would have known what sort of an answer he was
likely to get if he brought his vows and offers to the Paragon. There
he had been received with no special favour. No lures had been there
displayed to catch him. He had not been turned out of the house when
he came there, and that was all. So now, as she put on her bonnet,
she determined to punish Sir Lionel.

But in accusing her suitor of want of judgment, she was quite in
the dark as to his real course of action. She little knew with how
profound a judgment he was managing his affairs. Had she known, she
would hardly have interfered as she now did. As she put her foot on
the step of the fly she desired her servant to drive to Montpellier
Terrace.

She was shown into the drawing-room, and there she found Miss Baker
and Miss Gauntlet; not our friend Adela, but Miss Penelope Gauntlet,
who was now again settled in Littlebath.

"Well, ladies," said Miss Todd, walking up the room with well-assured
foot and full comfortable presence, "I've news to tell you."

They both of them saw at a glance tha