its wisdom is overlooked as well as its motives.  The sisters felt they were the patronesses of the little obscure genius whom they longed for to illumine their household, before they knew her name.  Cornet Wilfrid Pole must have chuckled mightily to see them depart on their mission.  These ladies, who managed everybody, had themselves been very cleverly managed.  It is doubtful whether the scheme to surprise and delight Mr. Pericles would have actuated the step they took, but for the dread of seeing the rapacious Tinleys snatch up their lawful prey.  The Tinleys were known to be quite capable of doing so.  They had, on a particular occasion, made transparent overtures to a celebrity belonging to the Poles, whom they had first met at Brookfield:  could never have hoped to have seen had they not met him at Brookfield; and girls who behaved in this way would do anything.  The resolution was taken to steal a march on them; nor did it seem at all odd to people naturally so hospitable as the denizens of Brookfield, that the stranger of yesterday should be the guest of to-day.  Kindness of heart, combined with a great scheme in the brain, easily put aside conventional rules.

“But we don’t know her name,” they said, when they had taken the advice of the gentlemen on what they had already decided to do:  all excepting Mr. Pericles, for whom the surprise was in store.

“Belloni—­Miss Belloni,” said Wilfrid.

“Are you sure?  How do you know—?”

“She told Laura Tinley.”

Within five minutes of the receipt of this intelligence the ladies were on their way to Wilson’s farm.

CHAPTER IV

The circle which the ladies of Brookfield were designing to establish just now, was of this receipt:—­Celebrities, London residents, and County notables, all in their severally due proportions, were to meet, mix, and revolve:  the Celebrities to shine; the Metropolitans to act as satellites; the County ignoramuses to feel flattered in knowing that all stood forth for their amusement:  they being the butts of the quick-witted Metropolitans, whom they despised, while the sons of renown were encouraged to be conscious of their magnanimous superiority over both sets, for whose entertainment they were ticketed.

This is a pudding indeed!  And the contemplation of the skill and energy required to get together and compound such a Brookfield Pudding, well-nigh leads one to think the work that is done out of doors a very inferior business, and, as it were, mere gathering of fuel for the fire inside.  It was known in the neighbourhood that the ladies were preparing one; and moreover that they had a new kind of plum; in other words, that they intended to exhibit a prodigy of genius, who would flow upon the world from Brookfield.  To announce her with the invitations, rejecting the idea of a surprise in the assembly, had been necessary, because there was no other way of securing Lady Gosstre, who led the society of the district.  The great lady gave her promise to attend:  “though,” as she said to Arabella, “you must know I abominate musical parties, and think them the most absurd of entertainments possible; but if you have anything to show, that’s another matter.”