l worldly goods a husband is the best.
But it was the possession which they had from their earliest years
thought of acquiring, which they first expected, for which they had
then hoped, and afterwards worked and schemed and striven with every
energy,--and as to which they had at last almost despaired. And now
Arabella's fire had been rekindled with a new spark, which, alas,
was to be quenched so suddenly! "And am I to tell them?" asked
Mrs. French, with a tremor in her voice. To this, however, Mr.
Gibson demurred. He said that for certain reasons he should like a
fortnight's grace; and that at the end of the fortnight he would
be prepared to speak. The interval was granted without further
questions, and Mr. Gibson was allowed to leave the house.

After that Mrs. French was not very comfortable at home. As soon as
Mr. Gibson had departed, Camilla at once returned to her mother and
desired to know what had taken place. Was it true that the perjured
man had proposed to that young woman in the Close? Mrs. French was
not clever at keeping a secret, and she could not keep this by her
own aid. She told all that happened to Camilla, and between them
they agreed that Arabella should be kept in ignorance till the fatal
fortnight should have passed. When Camilla was interrogated as to
her own purpose, she said she should like a day to think of it. She
took the twenty-four hours, and then made the following confession
of her passion to her mother. "You see, mamma, I always liked Mr.
Gibson,--always."

"So did Arabella, my dear,--before you thought of such things."

"I dare say that may be true, mamma; but that is not my fault. He
came here among us on such sweetly intimate terms that the feeling
grew up with me before I knew what it meant. As to any idea of
cutting out Arabella, my conscience is quite clear. If I thought
there had been anything really between them I would have gone
anywhere,--to the top of a mountain,--rather than rob my sister of a
heart that belonged to her."

"He has been so slow about it," said Mrs. French.

"I don't know about that," said Camilla. "Gentlemen have to be
slow, I suppose, when they think of their incomes. He only got St.
Peter's-cum-Pumpkin three years ago, and didn't know for the first
year whether he could hold that and the minor canonry together. Of
course a gentleman has to think of these things before he comes
forward."

"My dear, he has been very backward."

"If I'm to be Mrs. Gib