“Oh, no! my dear.  We may have Besworth.”

“Then, surely!”

“But, there are conditions?” said Arabella.

“Yes.  Wilfrid’s enigma is explained.  Bella, that woman has seen papa.”

“What woman?”

“Mrs. Chump.”

“She has our permission to see him in town, if that is any consolation to her.”

“She has told him,” continued Adela, “that no explanation, or whatever it may be, was received by her.”

“Certainly not, if it was not sent.”

“Papa,” and Adela’s voice trembled, “papa will not think of Besworth,—­not a word of it!-until—­until we consent to welcome that woman here as our guest.”

Cornelia was the first to break the silence that followed this astounding intelligence.  “Then,” she said, “Besworth is not to be thought of.  You told him so?”

Adela’s head drooped.  “Oh!” she cried, “what shall we do?  We shall be a laughing-stock to the neighbourhood.  The house will have to be locked up.  We shall live like hermits worried by a demon.  Her brogue!  Do you remember it?  It is not simply Irish.  It’s Irish steeped in brine.  It’s pickled Irish!”

She feigned the bursting into tears of real vexation.

“You speak,” said Cornelia contemptuously, “as if we had very humbly bowed our heads to the infection.”

“Papa making terms with us!” murmured Arabella.

“Pray, repeat his words.”

Adela tossed her curls.  “I will, as well as I can.  I began by speaking of Besworth cheerfully; saying, that if he really had no strong affection for Brookfield, that would make him regret quitting it, we saw innumerable advantages in the change of residence proposed.  Predilection,—­not affection—­that was what I said.  He replied that Besworth was a large place, and I pointed out that therein lay one of its principal merits.  I expected what would come.  He alluded to the possibility of our changing our condition.  You know that idea haunts him.  I told him our opinion of the folly of the thing.  I noticed that he grew red in the face, and I said that of course marriage was a thing ordained, but that we objected to being submerged in matrimony until we knew who and what we were.  I confess he did not make a bad reply, of its kind.  ‘You’re like a youngster playing truant that he may gain knowledge.’  What do you think of it?”

“A smart piece of City-speech,” was Arabella’s remark:  Cornelia placidly observing, “Vulgarity never contains more than a minimum of the truth.”

“I said,” Adela went on, “Think as you will, papa, we know we are right.”  He looked really angry.  He said, that we have the absurdest ideas—­you tell me to repeat his words—­of any girls that ever existed; and then he put a question:  listen:  I give it without comment:  ’I dare say, you all object to widows marrying again.’  I kept myself quiet.  ’Marrying again, papa!  If they marry once they might as well marry a dozen