be a visit to the deanery, which
she considered both a pleasure and a privilege. Everything there
pleased her sense of fitness and decorum, from the gravity of the
servants to the majestic, ponderous furniture of the rooms, and she
thought all the arrangements admirable. It is true that she did not
understand Dr Merridew's portly jokes, and was rather afraid of his
wife, but her approval of their five daughters was unbounded. They were
models of correct behaviour--her very ideal of what young people should
be in every respect. If only, she secretly sighed, Mary's girls were
more like them!

The Merridews, Miss Unity was accustomed to say, were quite the "nicest"
people in Nearminster, and she sincerely thought that she enjoyed their
society immensely. It was, however, quite a different enjoyment to that
which attended a cup of tea with old Miss Spokes, the greatest gossip in
the town, and was slightly mingled with awe.

On this occasion Miss Unity was singularly favoured by fortune, although
she had not gone to the deanery with any idea of finding help in her
perplexity, for before she had been there five minutes the conversation
took a most lucky turn. Mrs Merridew had been so much concerned
lately, she said, about her dear Ethel's right shoulder. It was
certainly growing out; and, indeed the four younger girls would all be
much better for some dancing and drilling lessons. There was nothing
she so much disliked as an awkward carriage. She was sure Miss Unity
would agree with her that it was important for girls to hold themselves
properly. Miss Unity, with Pennie in her mind, assented earnestly, and
added that she believed Miss Cannon had a class for dancing at her
school in the town.

"Oh yes, I know!" replied Mrs Merridew; "and I hear she has a very good
master, Monsieur Deville; but I don't quite fancy the children going
there--all the townspeople, you know. I don't think the dean would
quite like it."

"Oh no! to be sure not," murmured Miss Unity.

"No, it's not quite what one would wish," continued Mrs Merridew; "but
I've been wondering if I could get up a nice little class here!--just a
dozen or so of children among my own friends, and have Monsieur Deville
to teach them. You see he comes down to Miss Cannon every week, so
there would be no difficulty about his coming on here."

Miss Unity could hardly believe her ears, for, of course, the next step
on Mrs Merridew's part was to wonder if Mrs H