’Harriet, my dear, you’ve gone too far—­we had no right to pry into Mr. Preston’s private affairs.’

‘No more I had,’ said Lady Harriet, with a smile of winning frankness:  the first smile she had accorded to Mr. Preston for many a long day; ever since the time, years ago, when, presuming on his handsomeness, he had assumed a tone of gallant familiarity with Lady Harriet, and paid her personal compliments as he would have done to an equal.

‘But he will excuse me, I hope,’ continued she, still in that gracious manner which made him feel that he now held a much higher place in her esteem than he had had at the beginning of their interview, ’when he learns that the busy tongues of the Hollingford ladies have been speaking of my friend, Miss Gibson, in the most unwarrantable manner; drawing unjustifiable inferences from the facts of that intercourse with Mr. Preston, the nature of which he has just conferred such a real obligation on me by explaining.’

’I think I need hardly request Lady Harriet to consider this explanation of mine as confidential,’ said Mr. Preston.

‘Of course, of course!’ said the earl; ’every one will understand that.’  And he rode home, and told his wife and Lady Cuxhaven the whole conversation between Lady Harriet and Mr. Preston; in the strictest confidence, of course.  Lady Harriet had to stand a good many strictures on manners, and proper dignity for a few days after this.  However, she consoled herself by calling on the Gibsons; and, finding that Mrs. Gibson (who was still an invalid) was asleep at the time, she experienced no difficulty in carrying off the unconscious Molly for a walk, which Lady Harriet so contrived that they twice passed through all the length of the principal street of the town, loitered at Grinstead’s for half an hour, and wound up by Lady Harriet’s calling on the Miss Brownings, who, to her regret, were not at home.

‘Perhaps, it is as well,’ said she, after a minute’s consideration.  ‘I’ll leave my card, and put your name down underneath it, Molly.’

Molly was a little puzzled by the manner in which she had been taken possession of, like an inanimate chattel, for all the afternoon, and exclaimed,—­

’Please, Lady Harriet—­I never leave cards; I have not got any, and on the Miss Brownings, of all people; why, I run in and out whenever I like.’

’Never mind, little one.  To-day you shall do everything properly, and according to full etiquette.

’And now tell Mrs. Gibson to come out to the Towers for a long day; we will send the carriage for her whenever she will let us know that she is strong enough to come.  Indeed, she had better come for a few days; at this time of the year it does not do for an invalid to be out in the evenings, even in a carriage.’  So spoke Lady Harriet, standing on the white door-steps at Miss Brownings’, and holding Molly’s hand while she wished her good-by.  ’You’ll tell her, dear, that