’Yes, he’s married, and must have several children, for Mrs. Gibson said that Cynthia Kirkpatrick had paid them a visit in London, to have lessons with her cousins.  And she said that his wife was a most accomplished woman, and of good family, though she brought him no fortune.’

’It’s a very creditable connection, I’m sure; it’s only a wonder to me as how we’ve heard so little talk of it before,’ said Mrs Goodenough.  ‘At the first look of the thing, I should not ha’ thought Mrs. Gibson was one to hide away her fine relations under a bushel; indeed for that matter we’re all of us fond o’ turning the best breadth o’ the gown to the front.  I remember, speaking o’ breadths, how I’ve undone my skirts many a time and oft to put a stain or a grease-spot next to poor Mr. Goodenough.  He’d a soft kind of heart when first we was married, and he said, says he, “Patty, link thy right arm into my left one, then thou’lt be nearer to my heart;” and so we kept up the habit, when, poor man, he’d a deal more to think on than romancing on which side his heart lay; so as I said I always put my damaged breadths on the right hand, and when we walked arm in arm, as we always did, no one was never the wiser.’

’I should not be surprised if he invited Cynthia to pay him another visit in London,’ said Miss Browning.  ’If he did it when he was poor, he’s twenty times more likely to do it now he’s a Queen’s counsel.’

‘Ay, work it by the rule o’ three, and she stands a good chance.  I only hope it won’t turn her head; going up visiting in London at her age.  Why, I was fifty before ever I went!’

‘But she has been in France, she’s quite a travelled young lady,’ said Miss Phoebe.

Mrs. Goodenough shook her head, for a whole minute before she gave vent to her opinion.

‘It’s a risk,’ said she, ’a great risk.  I don’t like saying so to the doctor, but I should not like having my daughter, if I was him, so cheek-by-jowl with a girl as was brought up in the country where Robespierre and Bonyparte was born.’

‘But Buonaparte was a Corsican,’ said Miss Browning, who was much farther advanced both in knowledge and in liberality of opinions than Mrs. Goodenough.  ’And there’s a great opportunity for cultivation of the mind afforded by intercourse with foreign countries.  I always admire Cynthia’s grace of manner, never too shy to speak, yet never putting herself forwards; she’s quite a help to a party; and if she has a few airs and graces, why they’re natural at her age!  Now as for dear Molly, there’s a kind of awkwardness about her—­she broke one of our best china cups last time she was at a party at our house, and spilt the coffee on the new carpet; and then she got so confused that she hardly did anything but sit in a corner and hold her tongue all the rest of the evening.’

‘She was so sorry for what she’d done, sister,’ said Miss Phoebe, in a gentle tone of reproach; she was always faithful to Molly.