On his arrival at the Vicarage about eleven o’clock the servant informed him of Miss Waltham’s having called.  Mr. Wyvern heard this with pleasure.  He thought at first of writing a note to Adela, begging her to come to the Vicarage again, but by the morning he had decided to be himself the visitor.

He gathered at once from Mrs. Waltham’s face that events of some agitating kind were in progress.  She did not keep him long in uncertainty.  Upon his asking if he might speak a few words with Adela, Mrs. Waltham examined him curiously.

‘I am afraid,’ she said, ’that I must ask you to excuse her this morning, Mr. Wyvern.  She is not quite prepared to see anyone at present.  In fact,’ she lowered her voice and smiled very graciously, ’she has just had an—­an agitating interview with Mr. Mutimer—­she has consented to be his wife.’

‘In that case I cannot of course trouble her,’ the vicar replied, with gravity which to Mrs. Waltham appeared excessive, rather adapted to news of a death than of a betrothal.  The dark searching eyes, too, made her feel uncomfortable.  And he did not utter a syllable of the politeness expected on these occasions.

‘What a very shocking thing about Mr. Eldon!’ the lady pursued.  ’You have heard?’

‘Shocking?  Pray, what has happened?’

Hubert had left him in some depression the night before, and for a moment Mr. Wyvern dreaded lest some fatality had become known in Wanley.

‘Ah, you have not heard?  It is in this newspaper.’

The vicar examined the column indicated.

‘But,’ he exclaimed, with subdued indignation, ’this is the merest falsehood!’

‘A falsehood!  Are you sure of that, Mr. Wyvern?’

‘Perfectly sure.  There is no foundation for it whatsoever.’

’You don’t say so!  I am very glad to hear that, for poor Mrs. Eldon’s sake.’

‘Could you lend me this newspaper for to-day?’

’With pleasure.  Really you relieve me, Mr. Wyvern.  I had no means of inquiring into the story, of course.  But how disgraceful that such a thing should appear in print!’

’I am sorry to say, Mrs. Waltham, that the majority of things which appear in print nowadays are more or less disgraceful.  However, this may claim prominence, in its way.’

’And I may safely contradict it?  It will be such a happiness to do so.’

’Contradict it by all means, madam.  You may cite me as your authority.’

The vicar crushed the sheet into his pocket and strode homewards.

CHAPTER XIII