ht that a young and
stylish woman, coming to live here as she did, would have been glad of
society. But, though some dozen or so ladies of the place called on her,
she never, as I say, returned a single call; in fact, it very soon
became evident that she didn't want any society of that sort. She used
to go out bicycling a good deal by herself in those early days--that, I
fancy, was how she got to know both Wellesley and your cousin. She was
fond enough of their society anyway!"

"Always?" asked Brent. He was learning things that he had never heard
of, and was already thinking deeply about them. "From the beginning?"

"Well, practically," replied Hawthwaite. "First it was the doctor; then
it was Wallingford. And," he added, with a wink, "there are folk in the
town who declare that she carried on with both, playing one off against
the other, till the very end! I don't know how that may be, but I do
know that at one time she and Wellesley were very thick, and that
afterwards your cousin was always running after her. Naturally, there
was talk, especially amongst the folk who'd called on her and whose
calls she didn't return. And, to tell you the plain truth, they said
things."

"What sort of things?" inquired Brent.

"Oh, well!" said Hawthwaite, with a laugh. "If you'd lived as long in
this town as I have, and been in my position, you'd know that it--like
all little places--is a hotbed of scandal and gossip. The women, of
course, seeing her partiality for men friends, said things and hinted
more. Then the Vicar's wife--parsons' ladies are great ones for
talk--found something out and made the most of it. I told you that when
Mrs. Saumarez first came here it was understood that she was the widow
of an officer of some high position in the Royal Navy. Well, our Vicar's
wife has a brother who's a big man in that profession, and she was a bit
curious to know about the new-comer's relation to it. She persisted in
calling on Mrs. Saumarez though her calls weren't returned--she could
make excuses, you see, about parish matters and charities and what not.
And one day she asked Mrs. Saumarez point-blank what ship her late
husband had last served on? Now _she_ says that Mrs. Saumarez snapped
her up short--anyway, Mrs. S. gave her an answer. 'My late husband,'
said Mrs. S., 'was not in the British service!' And of course that
wasn't in her favour with the people whom she'd already snubbed."

"Um!" said Brent. There were many things