y's indignant exclamation
when Mrs. Clavering had hinted that Mr. Saul's proceeding had been
expected by her.

"Simply because I saw that he liked you, my dear. Men under such
circumstances have different ways of showing their liking."

Fanny, who had seen all of Mary's love affair from the beginning to the
end, and who had watched the Reverend Edward Fielding in all his very
conspicuous manoeuvres, would not agree to this. Edward Fielding from
the first moment of his intimate acquaintance with Mary had left no
doubt of his intentions on the mind of any one. He had talked to Mary
and walked with Mary whenever, he was allowed or found it possible to do
so. When driven to talk to Fanny, he had always talked about Mary. He
had been a lover of the good, old, plainspoken stamp, about whom there
had been no mistake. From the first moment of his coming much about
Clavering Rectory the only question had been about his income. "I don't
think Mr. Saul ever said a word to me except about the poor people and
the church services," said Fanny. "That was merely his way," said Mrs.
Clavering. "Then he must be a goose," said Fanny. "I am very sorry if I
have made him unhappy, but he had no business to come to me in that
way."

"I suppose I shall have to look for another curate," said the Rector.
But this was said in private to his wife.

"I don't see that at all," said Mrs. Clavering. "With many men it would
be so; but I think you will find that he will take an answer, and that
there will be an end of it."

Fanny, perhaps, had a right to be indignant, for certainly Mr. Saul had
given her no fair warning of his intention. Mary had for some months
been intent rather on Mr. Fielding's church matters than on those going
on in her own parish, and therefore there had been nothing singular in
the fact that Mr. Saul had said more on such matters to Fanny than to
her sister. Fanny was eager and active, and as Mr. Saul was very eager
and very active, it was natural that they should have had some interests
in common. But there had been no private walkings, and no talkings that
could properly be called private. There was a certain book which Fanny
kept, containing the names of all the poor people in the parish, to
which Mr. Saul had access equally with herself; but its contents were of
a most prosaic nature, and when she had sat over it in the rectory
drawing-room, with Mr. Saul by her side, striving to extract more than
twelve pennies out of