‘It wasn’t altogether a story, mother,’ pleaded the girl, shamed, but with an endeavour to speak independently.  ’I did want to speak to Letty.’

’And you put it off, I suppose?  Really, Adela, you must remember that a girl of your age has to be mindful of her self-respect.  In Wanley you can’t escape notice; besides—­’

‘Let me explain, mother.’  Adela’s voice was made firm by the suggestion that she had behaved unbecomingly.  ’I went to Letty first of all to tell her of a difficulty I was in.  Yesterday afternoon I happened to meet Mr. Eldon, and when he was saying good-bye I asked him if he wouldn’t come and see you before he left Wanley.  He promised to come this afternoon.  At the time of course I didn’t know that Alfred had invited Mr. Mutimer.  It would have been so disagreeable for Mr. Eldon to meet him here, I made up my mind to walk towards the Manor and tell Mr. Eldon what had happened.’

’Why should Mr. Eldon have found the meeting with Mr. Mutimer disagreeable?’

‘They don’t like each other.’

’I dare say not.  Perhaps it was as well Mr. Eldon didn’t come.  I should most likely have refused to see him.’

‘Refused to see him, mother?’

Adela gazed in the utmost astonishment.

’Yes, my dear.  I haven’t spoken to you about Mr. Eldon, just because I took it for granted that he would never come in your way again.  That he should have dared to speak to you is something beyond what I could have imagined.  When I went to see Mrs. Eldon on Friday I didn’t take you with me, for fear lest that young man should show himself.  It was impossible for you to be in the same room with him.’

‘With Mr. Hubert Eldon?  My dearest mother, what are you saying?’

’Of course it surprises you, Adela.  I too was surprised.  I thought there might be no need to speak to you of things you ought never to hear mentioned, but now I am afraid I have no choice.  The sad truth is that Mr. Eldon has utterly disgraced himself.  When he ought to have been here to attend Mr. Mutimer’s funeral, he was living at Paris and other such places in the most shocking dissipation.  Things are reported of him which I could not breathe to you; he is a bad young man!’

The inclusiveness of that description!  Mrs. Waltham’s head quivered as she gave utterance to the words, for at least half of the feeling she expressed was genuine.  To her hearer the final phrase was like a thunderstroke.  In a certain profound work on the history of her country which she had been in the habit of studying, the author, discussing the character of Oliver Cromwell, achieved a most impressive climax in the words, ‘He was a bold, bad man.’  The adjective ‘bad’ derived for Adela a dark energy from her recollection of that passage; it connoted every imaginable phase of moral degradation.  ‘Dissipation’ too; to her pure mind the word had a terrible sound; it sketched in lurid outlines hideous lurking places of vice and disease.  ‘Paris and other such places.’  With the name of Paris she associated a feeling of reprobation; Paris was the head-quarters of sin—­at all events on earth.  In Paris people went to the theatre on Sunday; that fact alone shed storm-light over the iniquitous capital.