‘My uncle has been saying a few words to you perhaps,’ said Carry Spalding.

‘Yes; he has,’ said Mr Glascock.

‘He usually does,’ said Carry Spalding.

CHAPTER XLVII

ABOUT FISHING, AND NAVIGATION, AND HEAD-DRESSES

The feud between Miss Stanbury and Mr Gibson raged violently in Exeter, and produced many complications which were very difficult indeed of management.  Each belligerent party felt that a special injury had been inflicted upon it.  Mr Gibson was quite sure that he had been grossly misused by Miss Stanbury the elder, and strongly suspected that Miss Stanbury the younger had had a hand in this misconduct.  It had been positively asserted to him, at least so he thought, but in this was probably in error, that the lady would accept him if he proposed to her.  All Exeter had been made aware of the intended compact.  He, indeed, had denied its existence to Miss French, comforting himself, as best he might, with the reflection that all is fair in love and war; but when he counted over his injuries he did not think of this denial.  All Exeter, so to say, had known of it.  And yet, when he had come with his proposal, he had been refused without a moment’s consideration, first by the aunt, and then by the niece and, after that, had been violently abused, and at last turned out of the house!  Surely, no gentleman had ever before been subjected to ill-usage so violent!  But Miss Stanbury the elder was quite as assured that the injury had been done to her.  As to the matter of the compact itself, she knew very well that she had been as true as steel.  She had done everything in her power to bring about the marriage.  She had been generous in her offers of money.  She had used all her powers of persuasion on Dorothy, and she had given every opportunity to Mr Gibson.  It was not her fault if he had not been able to avail himself of the good things which she had put in his way.  He had first been, as she thought, ignorant and arrogant, fancying that the good things ought to be made his own without any trouble on his part, and then awkward, not knowing how to take the trouble when trouble was necessary.  And as to that matter of abusive language and turning out of the house, Miss Stanbury was quite convinced that she was sinned against, and not herself the sinner.  She declared to Martha, more than once, that Mr Gibson had used such language to her that, coming out of a clergyman’s mouth, it had quite dismayed her.  Martha, who knew her mistress, probably felt that Mr Gibson had at least received as good as he gave; but she had made no attempt to set her mistress right on that point.