There was the accustomed set of people in Mrs French’s drawing-room, the Crumbies, and the Wrights, and the Apjohns.  And Mrs MacHugh came also knowing that there would be a rubber.  ’Their naked shoulders don’t hurt me,’ Mrs MacHugh said, when her friend almost scolded her for going to the house.  ’I’m not a young man.  I don’t care what they do to themselves.’  ‘You might say as much if they went naked altogether,’ Miss Stanbury had replied in anger.  ’If nobody else complained, I shouldn’t,’ said Mrs MacHugh.  Mrs MacHugh got her rubber; and as she had gone for her rubber, on a distinct promise that there should be a rubber, and as there was a rubber, she felt that she had no right to say ill-natured things.  ‘What does it matter to me,’ said Mrs MacHugh, ‘how nasty she is?  She’s not going to be my wife.’  ‘Ugh!’ exclaimed Miss Stanbury, shaking her head both in anger and disgust.

Camilla French was by no means so bad as she was painted by Miss Stanbury, and Brooke Burgess rather liked her than otherwise.  And it seemed to him that Mr Gibson did not at all dislike Arabella, and felt no repugnance at either the lady’s noddle or shoulders now that he was removed from Miss Stanbury’s influence.  It was clear enough also that Arabella had not given up the attempt, although she must have admitted to herself that the claims of Dorothy Stanbury were very strong.  On this evening it seemed to have been specially permitted to Arabella, who was the elder sister, to take into her own hands the management of the case.  Beholders of the game had hitherto declared that Mr Gibson’s safety was secured by the constant coupling of the sisters.  Neither would allow the other to hunt alone.  But a common sense of the common danger had made some special strategy necessary, and Camilla hardly spoke a word to Mr Gibson during the evening.  Let us hope that she found some temporary consolation in the presence of the stranger.

‘I hope you are going to stay with us ever so long, Mr Burgess?’ said Camilla.

’A month.  That is ever so long isn’t it?  Why I mean to see all Devonshire within that time.  I feel already that I know Exeter thoroughly and everybody in it.’

‘I’m sure we are very much flattered.’

’As for you, Miss French, I’ve heard so much about you all my life, that I felt that I knew you before I came here.’

‘Who can have spoken to you about me?’

’You forget how many relatives I have in the city.  Do you think my Uncle Barty never writes to me?’

‘Not about me.’

‘Does he not?  And do you suppose I don’t hear from Miss Stanbury?’

‘But she hates me.  I know that.’

‘And do you hate her?’

’No, indeed.  I’ve the greatest respect for her.  But she is a little odd; isn’t she, now, Mr Burgess?  We all like her ever so much; and we’ve known her ever so long, six or seven years since we were quite young things.  But she has such queer notions about girls.’