r. Prong, because there's
a difference when they come from one doesn't know where."

"Pray, mamma, don't. I haven't made any objection to Mr. Comfort. It
isn't nice to be talked over in that way by anybody, that's all."

"But what was I to do? I'm sure I liked the young man very much. I
never knew a young man who took his tea so pleasant. And as for his
manners and his way of talking, I had it in my heart to fall in love
with him myself. I had indeed. As far as that goes, he's just the
young man that I could make a son of."

"Dear mamma! my own dearest mamma!" and Rachel, jumping up, threw
herself upon her mother's neck. "Stop there. You shan't say another
word."

"I'm sure I didn't mean to say anything unpleasant."

"No, you did not; and I won't be impatient."

"Only I can't bear that look. And you know what his mother said,--and
Mrs. Tappitt. Not that I care about Mrs. Tappitt; only a person's
mother is his mother, and he shouldn't have called her a goose."

It must be acknowledged that Rachel's position was not comfortable;
and it certainly would not have been improved had she known how many
people in Baslehurst were talking about her and Rowan. That Rowan was
gone everybody knew; that he had made love to Rachel everybody said;
that he never meant to come back any more most professed to believe.
Tappitt's tongue was loud in proclaiming his iniquities; and her
follies and injuries Mrs. Tappitt whispered into the ears of all her
female acquaintances.

"I'm sorry for her," Miss Harford said, mildly. Mrs. Tappitt was
calling at the rectory, and had made her way in. Mr. Tappitt was
an upholder of the old rector, and there was a fellow-townsman's
friendship between them.

"Oh yes;--very sorry for her," said Mrs. Tappitt.

"Very sorry indeed," said Augusta, who was with her mother.

"She always seemed to me a pretty, quiet, well-behaved girl," said
Miss Harford.

"Still waters run deepest, you know, Miss Harford," said Mrs.
Tappitt. "I should never have imagined it of her;--never. But she
certainly met him half-way."

"But we all thought he was respectable, you know," said Miss Harford.

Miss Harford was thoroughly good-natured; and though she had never
gone half-way herself, and had perhaps lost her chance from having
been unable to go any part of the way, she was not disposed to
condemn a girl for having been willing to be admired by such a one as
Luke Rowan.

"Well;--yes; at first we did. He had the n