anny.

"Stomach, probably," said the doctor, resorting to a time-honoured
subterfuge. "I'll send her something to take directly after meals."

"No, Maisie," said the old lady, somewhat to the doctor's surprise. "You
shall not be told any stories, with my consent. I've had a piece of
news--a blessed piece of news as ever came to an old woman!--and it gave
me a jump. But I shan't tell ye a word of it yet a while. Ye may just be
busy over guessing what it is till I come back." The doctor was obliged
to confess to himself that this was a wonderful stroke of policy on the
old lady's part, and resolved to back it up through thick and thin.

But although the young wife's good-humoured face showed every sign of
rebellion against her arbitrary exclusion from the enjoyment of this
mystery, her protest had to stand over. For baby waked up suddenly in a
storm of rage, and called Heaven and Earth to witness the grievous
injury and neglect of his family in not being ready with a prompt
bottle. The doctor hurried away to that patient, and what sort of
reception he got the story can only imagine. It hopes the case was not
urgent.

The last he saw that day of Granny Marrable was her back, almost as
upright at eighty as the young farmer's beside her at thirty, just
starting on the short journey that was to end in such an amazing
interview. His thought for a moment was how he would like to be there to
see it! Reconsideration made him say to himself:--"Well, now, should I?"

CHAPTER XVII

HOW LADY ANCESTER CALLED ON LADY TORRENS, WHO WAS KEEPING HER ROOM.
BUT SHE SAW THE BART. A QUEER AND TICKLISH INTERVIEW. MAURICE AND
KATHLEEN TYRAWLEY. NO NEED FOR HUMBUG BETWEEN _US_! THE COUNTESS'S
GROUNDS FOR OPPOSING THE MARRIAGE. HOW ADRIAN, WITH EYES IN HIS
HEAD, WOULD HAVE BEEN MOST ACCEPTABLE. BUT HOW ABOUT JEPHTHA'S
DAUGHTER? OUGHT WE, THOUGH, TO MEDDLE BETWEEN YOUNG LOVERS? AN
AWKWARD TOPIC. HOW ROMEO _DIDN'T_ FEEL, ABOUT _HIS_ EX-JULIET! HOW
COUNTY PARIS MIGHT HAVE WASHED, AND ROSALINE MIGHT HAVE MARRIED A
POPULAR PREACHER. THE SAME LIPS. THE COUNTESS'S COURAGE. A GOOD
SHAKE AND NO FLINCHING. CHRISTIAN-NAMING UNDER TUTELAGE. HOW SIR
HAMILTON INDULGED IN A FIRESIDE REVERIE OVER HIS PAST, AND HIS SON
AND DAUGHTER CAME BACK. HOW MISS SCATCHERD HAD BEEN SEEN BY BOTH. A
FLASH OF EYESIGHT, AND HOPE. HOW THE SQUIRE TOOK THE NEXT
OPPORTUNITY THAT EVENING. CUPID's NAME NO