Miss Darrell seemed to read my thoughts in a most wonderful way.

’Poor mother left very little except personal jewellery.  Yes, I owe everything to Giles’s generosity.  He is good enough to say that I earn my allowance,—­and indeed I am never idle; but,’ interrupting herself, ’I do not want to talk of myself; I am a very insignificant person,—­just Giles’s housekeeper; Gladys is mistress of the house.  I only wanted you to explain to Mr. Cunliffe that I am not to blame for Gladys’s strange whim.  Let me explain a little.  She was looking very ill and overworked, and I begged Giles to lecture her.  I told him that there was no need for Gladys to do quite so much; in fact, she was putting herself a little too forward in the parish, considering how young she was, and the vicar an unmarried man.  So Giles and I gave her a word.  I am sure he spoke most gently, and I was very careful indeed in only giving her a hint that people, and even Mr. Cunliffe, might misconstrue such devotion.  I never saw Gladys in such a passion; and the next day she had flung everything up.  She told the vicar that the schoolroom made her head ache, and that her throat was delicate, and she could not sing.  Poor Mr. Cunliffe was in such despair that I was obliged to offer my services.  It is far too much for me; but what can I do? the parish must not suffer for Gladys’s wilfulness.  Now if you could only explain things a little to Mr. Cunliffe; he looked so hurt the other night when Gladys refused to take her old class.  No wonder he misses her, for she used to teach the children splendidly; but if he knew it was only a little temper on Gladys’s part he would look over it and be friends with her again.  But you must have noticed yourself, Miss Garston, how little he had to say to her.’

I had found it impossible to check Miss Darrell’s loquacity or to edge in a single word; but as soon as her breath failed I rose to take my leave, and she did not seek to detain me.

‘You will explain this to Mr. Cunliffe, for Gladys’s sake,’ she said, holding my hand.  ’I do want him to think well of her, and I can see his good opinion is shaken.’

But to this I made no audible reply; but, as I shook off the dust of Gladwyn, I told myself that Uncle Max should not hear Miss Darrell’s version from my lips.  She wished to make me a tool in her hands; but her breach of confidence had a very different result from what she expected.  Miss Darrell’s words had cleared up a perplexity in my mind:  I could read between the lines, and I fully exonerated Miss Hamilton.

The following afternoon I had a most unexpected pleasure.  When I came back to the cottage after my day’s work Mrs. Barton met me at the door and told me that Miss Hamilton was in the parlour.

I had thought she meant Lady Betty; but, to my surprise, I found Miss Hamilton seated by the fire.  A pleased smile came to her face as I greeted her most warmly.  She must have seen how glad I was; but she shrank back rather nervously when I begged her to take off her furred mantle and stay to tea.