said Mrs. Tappitt; "and deception is not truth."

"I didn't think it had gone anything so far as that," said Mrs.
Rowan,--who at the moment, perhaps, forgot that deception is not
truth; "and in saying that he has actually offered himself, you may
perhaps,--without meaning it, of course,--be attributing a more
positive significance to his word than he has intended."

"God forbid!" said Mrs. Ray very solemnly. "That would be a very sad
thing for my poor girl. But I think, Mrs. Rowan, you had better ask
him. If he says he didn't intend it, of course there will be an end
of it, as far as Rachel is concerned."

"I can't ask him just at present," said Mrs. Rowan, "because he has
gone up to London. He went away yesterday afternoon, and there's no
saying when he may be in Baslehurst again."

"If ever--," said Mrs. Tappitt, very solemnly. "Perhaps he has not
told you, Mrs. Ray, that that partnership between him and Mr. T. is
all over."

"He did tell us that there had been words between him and Mr.
Tappitt."

"Words indeed!" said Mrs. Tappitt.

"And therefore it isn't so easy to ask him," said Mrs. Rowan,
ignoring Mrs. Tappitt and the partnership. "But of course, Mrs. Ray,
our object in this matter must be the same. We both wish to see our
children happy and respectable." Mrs. Rowan, as she said this, put
great emphasis on the last word.

"As to my girl, I've no fear whatever but what she'll be
respectable," said Mrs. Ray, with more heat than Mrs. Tappitt had
thought her to possess.

"No doubt; no doubt. But what I'm coming to is this, Mrs. Ray; here
has this boy of mine been behaving foolishly to your daughter, as
young men will do. It may be that he has really said something to her
of the kind you suppose--"

"Said something to her! Why, ma'am, he came out here and asked my
permission to pay his addresses to her, which I didn't answer because
just at that moment Rachel came in from Farmer Sturt's opposite--"

"Farmer Sturt's!" said Mrs. Tappitt to Mrs. Rowan, in an under voice
and nodding her head. Whereupon Mrs. Rowan nodded her head also. One
of the great accusations made against Mrs. Ray had been that she
lived on the Farmer Sturt level, and not on the Tappitt level;--much
less on the Rowan level.

"Yes,--from Farmer Sturt's," continued Mrs. Ray, not at all
understanding this by-play. "So I didn't give him any answer at all."

"You wouldn't encourage him," said Mrs. Rowan.

"I don't know about that; but a