when I caught that his words were not words of love, but that, for all his grave face, he was at his old tricks.  He was telling her of his travels in India, and describing the wonderful height of the Himalaya mountains:  one touch after another added to their size, and each exceeded the former in absurdity; but Mrs Jamieson really enjoyed all in perfect good faith.  I suppose she required strong stimulants to excite her to come out of her apathy.  Mr Peter wound up his account by saying that, of course, at that altitude there were none of the animals to be found that existed in the lower regions; the game,—­everything was different.  Firing one day at some flying creature, he was very much dismayed when it fell, to find that he had shot a cherubim!  Mr Peter caught my eye at this moment, and gave me such a funny twinkle, that I felt sure he had no thoughts of Mrs Jamieson as a wife from that time.  She looked uncomfortably amazed —

“But, Mr Peter, shooting a cherubim—­don’t you think—­I am afraid that was sacrilege!”

Mr Peter composed his countenance in a moment, and appeared shocked at the idea, which, as he said truly enough, was now presented to him for the first time; but then Mrs Jamieson must remember that he had been living for a long time among savages—­all of whom were heathens—­some of them, he was afraid, were downright Dissenters.  Then, seeing Miss Matty draw near, he hastily changed the conversation, and after a little while, turning to me, he said, “Don’t be shocked, prim little Mary, at all my wonderful stories.  I consider Mrs Jamieson fair game, and besides I am bent on propitiating her, and the first step towards it is keeping her well awake.  I bribed her here by asking her to let me have her name as patroness for my poor conjuror this evening; and I don’t want to give her time enough to get up her rancour against the Hogginses, who are just coming in.  I want everybody to be friends, for it harasses Matty so much to hear of these quarrels.  I shall go at it again by-and-by, so you need not look shocked.  I intend to enter the Assembly Room to-night with Mrs Jamieson on one side, and my lady, Mrs Hoggins, on the other.  You see if I don’t.”

Somehow or another he did; and fairly got them into conversation together.  Major and Mrs Gordon helped at the good work with their perfect ignorance of any existing coolness between any of the inhabitants of Cranford.

Ever since that day there has been the old friendly sociability in Cranford society; which I am thankful for, because of my dear Miss Matty’s love of peace and kindliness.  We all love Miss Matty, and I somehow think we are all of us better when she is near us.

*** End of the project gutenberg EBOOK, Cranford ***

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