’Yes.  There was Mr. Henderson, that young lawyer; that’s to say he is studying law, but he has a good private fortune and is likely to have more, so he can only be what I call playing at law.  Mr Henderson was over head and ears in love with her.  It is not my fancy, although I grant mothers are partial; both Mr. and Mrs Kirkpatrick noticed it; and in one of Mrs. Kirkpatrick’s letters, she said that poor Mr. Henderson was going into Switzerland for the long vacation, doubtless to try and forget Cynthia; but she really believed he would find it only dragging at each remove a lengthening chain.  I thought it such a refined quotation, and altogether worded so prettily.  You must know aunt Kirkpatrick some day, Molly, my love:  she is what I call a woman of a truly elegant mind.’

’I can’t help thinking it was a pity that Cynthia did not tell them of her engagement.’

‘It is not an engagement, my dear!  How often must I tell you that?’

‘But what am I to call it?’

’I don’t see why you need to call it anything.  Indeed I don’t understand what you mean by “it.”  You should always try to express yourself intelligibly.  It really is one of the first principles of the English language.  In fact, philosophers might ask what is language given us for at all, if it is not that we may make our meaning understood?’

’But there is something between Cynthia and Roger; they are more to each other than I am to Osborne, for instance.  What am I to call it?’

’You should not couple your name with that of any unmarried young man; it is so difficult to teach you delicacy, child.  Perhaps one may say there is a peculiar relation between dear Cynthia and Roger, but it is very difficult to characterize it; I have no doubt that is the reason she shrinks from speaking about it.  For, between ourselves, Molly, I really sometimes think it will come to nothing.  He is so long away, and, privately speaking, Cynthia is not very very constant.  I once knew her very much taken before—­that little affair is quite gone by; and she was very civil to Mr. Henderson, in her way; I fancy she inherits it, for when I was a girl I was beset by lovers, and could never find in my heart to shake them off.  You have not heard dear papa say anything of the old squire, or dear Osborne, have you?  It seems so long since we have heard or seen anything of Osborne.  But he must be quite well, I think, or we should have heard of it.’

’I believe he is quite well.  Some one said the other day that they had met him riding—­it was Mrs. Goodenough, now I remember—­and that he was looking stronger than he had done for years.’

’Indeed!  I am truly glad to hear it.  I always was fond of Osborne; and, do you know, I never really took to Roger; I respected him and all that, of course.  But to compare him with Mr. Henderson!  Mr Henderson is so handsome and well-bred, and gets all his gloves from Houbigant!’