it at his door? The fault is
none of his, Cousin Keziah." Thus Widow Thrale.

"Truly the fault be none of his. But thou doesna knaw Ste'aphen Solmes
as I do. He'll be for sayun'--if that g'woon had a been unlwoaded,
Master Torrens had gone his way, and no harm done, nouther to him nor
yet to Gwen. But who can say for certain that 'tis not God's will all
along?"

Mrs. Lamprey interrupted. There was the child's medicine, to be taken
regular, three times a day as directed on the bottle, and she had to
take Farmer Jones his gout mixture. "But what I told you, that's all
correct," said she, departing. "The gentleman will get his eyesight
again, and Dr. Nash says so."

Keziah waited for Mrs. Lamprey to depart, and then went on:--"They do
say marriages are made in Heaven, and 'tis not unlike to be true. 'Tis
all one there whether we be high or low." This was a tribute to
Omnipotence, acknowledging its independence of County Families. So
august a family as the Earl's might wed as it would, without suffering
disparagement. Anyway, there was her young ladyship driving off this
very morning to Pensham, so there was every sign at present that the
decrees of Providence would hold good. She, Keziah, had heard from her
nephew, Tom Kettering, where he was to drive, the carrier's cart having
called at the Towers after picking her up at the cottage. Moreover,
she--having alighted to interchange greetings with the household--had
chanced to overhear her young ladyship say where she was going and when
she would be back. She was talking with an old person, a stranger, in
black, with silver-white hair.

"That would be Dave's old Mrs. Picture, Ruth," said Granny Marrable,
with apparent interest. She was not at all sorry to hear something of
her having arrived safely at the Towers, none the worse for her long
drive yesterday. Mrs. Keziah, however, showed a disposition to qualify
her report, saying:--"Th' o'ald la'ady was ma'akin' but a power show, at
that. She'll be a great age, shower-ly! Only they do say, creaking
dowers ha'ang longest."

Said Widow Thrale then, explanatorily:--"Mother will be fretting by
reason that the old soul would take no refreshment. But reckon you can't
with Wills and Won'ts, do what you may! They just drove away, sharp,
they did! I tell mother she took no harm, and if she did, t'was no fault
of hers, or mine, I lay!"

Two days later, Widow Thrale went over by arrangement to Mrs. Solmes's
cottage to recover her