ly you must not mention this,--that I have a kind of idea
that we could get Nuncombe Putney for him. My father had the living,
and my brother; and I should like it to go on in the family."

No opportunity came in the way of Brooke Burgess to say anything in
favour of Mr. Gibson to Dorothy Stanbury. There did come to be very
quickly a sort of intimacy between her and her aunt's favourite; but
she was one not prone to talk about her own affairs. And as to such
an affair as this,--a question as to whether she should or should not
give herself in marriage to her suitor,--she, who could not speak
of it even to her own sister without a blush, who felt confused
and almost confounded when receiving her aunt's admonitions and
instigations on the subject, would not have endured to hear Brooke
Burgess speak on the matter. Dorothy did feel that a person easier to
know than Brooke had never come in her way. She had already said as
much to him as she had spoken to Mr. Gibson in the three months that
she had made his acquaintance. They had talked about Exeter, and
about Mrs. MacHugh, and the cathedral, and Tennyson's poems, and the
London theatres, and Uncle Barty, and the family quarrel. They had
become quite confidential with each other on some matters. But on
this heavy subject of Mr. Gibson and his proposal of marriage not
a word had been said. When Brooke once mentioned Mr. Gibson on the
Thursday morning, Dorothy within a minute had taken an opportunity of
escaping from the room.

But circumstances did give him an opportunity of speaking to Mr.
Gibson. On the Wednesday afternoon both he and Mr. Gibson were
invited to drink tea at Mrs. French's house on that evening. Such
invitations at Exeter were wont to be given at short dates, and both
the gentlemen had said that they would go. Then Arabella French had
called in the Close and had asked Miss Stanbury and Dorothy. It was
well understood by Arabella that Miss Stanbury herself would not
drink tea at Heavitree. And it may be that Dorothy's company was not
in truth desired. The ladies both declined. "Don't you stay at home
for me, my dear," Miss Stanbury said to her niece. But Dorothy had
not been out without her aunt since she had been at Exeter, and
understood perfectly that it would not be wise to commence the
practice at the house of the Frenches. "Mr. Brooke is coming, Miss
Stanbury; and Mr. Gibson," Miss French said. And Miss Stanbury had
thought that there was some triumph