strange misapprehension in the matter." "Now, my dear, I don't care
very much for the young lady in question," said Mrs. Clifford,
alluding to Camilla French.

"Very little, indeed, I should think," said Miss Stanbury, with a
shake of her head.

"Quite true, my dear,--but that does not make the words out of her
mouth the less efficacious for evil. She clearly insinuated that you
had endeavoured to make up a match between this gentleman and your
niece, and that you had failed." So much was at least true. Miss
Stanbury felt this, and felt also that she could not explain the
truth, even to her dear old friend. In the midst of her divine wrath
she had acknowledged to herself that she had brought Mr. Gibson into
his difficulty, and that it would not become her to tell any one
of his failure. And in this matter she did not herself accuse Mr.
Gibson. She believed that the lie originated with Camilla French, and
it was against Camilla that her wrath raged the fiercest.

"She is a poor, mean, disappointed thing," said Miss Stanbury.

"Very probably;--but I think I should ask her to hold her tongue
about Miss Dorothy," said Mrs. Clifford.

The consultation in the closet was carried on for about half-an-hour,
and then Miss Stanbury put on her bonnet and shawl and descended into
Mrs. Clifford's carriage. The carriage took the Heavitree road, and
deposited Miss Stanbury at the door of Mrs. French's house. The walk
home from Heavitree would be nothing, and Mrs. Clifford proceeded on
her way, having given this little help in counsel and conveyance to
her friend. Mrs. French was at home, and Miss Stanbury was shown up
into the room in which the three ladies were sitting.

[Illustration: Miss Stanbury visits the Frenches.]

The reader will doubtless remember the promise which Arabella had
made to Mr. Gibson. That promise she had already fulfilled,--to the
amazement of her mother and sister;--and when Miss Stanbury entered
the room the elder daughter of the family was seen without her
accustomed head-gear. If the truth is to be owned, Miss Stanbury gave
the poor young woman no credit for her new simplicity, but put down
the deficiency to the charge of domestic slatternliness. She was
unjust enough to declare afterwards that she had found Arabella
French only half dressed at between three and four o'clock in the
afternoon! From which this lesson may surely be learned,--that though
the way down Avernus may be, and customar