ou out?" said Mrs. Ray.

"Oh, Mr. Rowan!" said Rachel.

"That's the truth," said Rowan. "It's about that horrid brewery. He
means to be honest, and so do I. But in such matters it is so hard to
know what the right of each party really is. I fear we shall have to
go to law. But there's a lady coming in, so I'll tell you the rest of
it to-morrow. I want you to know it all, Mrs. Ray, and to understand
it too."

"A lady!" said Mrs. Ray, looking out through the open window. "Oh
dear, if here isn't Dorothea!"

Then Rowan shook hands with them both, pressing Rachel's very warmly,
close under her mother's eyes; and as he went out of the house into
the garden, he passed Mrs. Prime on the walk, and took off his hat to
her with great composure.

CHAPTER XII.

RACHEL RAY THINKS "SHE DOES LIKE HIM."

Luke Rowan's appearance at Mrs. Ray's tea-table, as described in
the last chapter, took place on Wednesday evening, and it may be
remembered that on the morning of that same day Mrs. Prime had been
closeted with Mr. Prong in that gentleman's parlour. She had promised
to give Mr. Prong an answer to his proposal on Saturday, and had
consequently settled herself down steadily to think of all that
was good and all that might be evil in such an arrangement as that
suggested to her. She wished much for legal advice, but she made up
her mind that that was beyond her reach, was beyond her reach as a
preliminary assistance. She knew enough of the laws of her country to
enable her to be sure that, though she might accept the offer, her
own money could be so tied up on her behalf that her husband could
not touch the principal of her wealth; but she did not know whether
things could be so settled that she might have in her own hands the
spending of her income. By three o'clock on that day she thought that
she would accept Mr. Prong, if she could be satisfied on that head.
Her position as a clergyman's wife,--a minister's wife she called
it,--would be unexceptionable. The company of Miss Pucker was
distasteful. Solitude was not charming to her. And then, could she
not work harder as a married woman than in the position which she
now held? and also, could she not so work with increased power and
increased perseverance? At three o'clock she had almost made up her
mind, but still she was sadly in need of counsel and information.
Then it occurred to her that her mother might have some knowledge
in this matter. In most respects her moth