But the cause of Miss Stanbury’s sharpest anger was not to be found in Mr Gibson’s conduct either before Dorothy’s refusal of his offer, or on the occasion of his being turned out of the house.  A base rumour was spread about the city that Dorothy Stanbury had been offered to Mr Gibson, that Mr Gibson had civilly declined the offer, and that hence had arisen the wrath of the Juno of the Close.  Now this was not to be endured by Miss Stanbury.  She had felt even in the moment of her original anger against Mr Gibson that she was bound in honour not to tell the story against him.  She had brought him into the little difficulty, and she at least would hold her tongue.  She was quite sure that Dorothy would never boast of her triumph.  And Martha had been strictly cautioned as indeed, also, had Brooke Burgess.  The man had behaved like an idiot, Miss Stanbury said; but he had been brought into a little dilemma, and nothing should be said about it from the house in the Close.  But when the other rumour reached Miss Stanbury’s ears, when Mrs Crumbie condoled with her on her niece’s misfortune, when Mrs MacHugh asked whether Mr Gibson had not behaved rather badly to the young lady, then our Juno’s celestial mind was filled with a divine anger.  But even then she did not declare the truth.  She asked a question of Mrs Crumbie, and was enabled, as she thought, to trace the falsehood to the Frenches.  She did not think that Mr Gibson could on a sudden have become so base a liar.  ’Mr Gibson fast and loose with my niece?’ she said to Mrs MacHugh.  ’You have not got the story quite right, my dear friend.  Pray, believe me there has been nothing of that sort.’  ‘I dare say not,’ said Mrs MacHugh, ’and I’m sure I don’t care.  Mr Gibson has been going to marry one of the French girls for the last ten years, and I think he ought to make up his mind and do it at last.’

‘I can assure you he is quite welcome as far as Dorothy is concerned,’ said Miss Stanbury.

Without a doubt the opinion did prevail throughout Exeter that Mr Gibson, who had been regarded time out of mind as the property of the Miss Frenches, had been angled for by the ladies in the Close, that he had nearly been caught, but that he had slipped the hook out of his mouth, and was now about to subside quietly into the net which had been originally prepared for him.  Arabella French had not spoken loudly on the subject, but Camilla had declared in more than one house that she had most direct authority for stating that the gentleman had never dreamed of offering to the young lady.  ’Why he should not do so if he pleases, I don’t know,’ said Camilla.  ’Only the fact is that he has not pleased.  The rumour of course has reached him, and, as we happen to be very old friends we have authority for denying it altogether.’  All this came round to Miss Stanbury, and she was divine in her wrath.

‘If they drive me to it,’ she said to Dorothy, ’I’ll have the whole truth told by the bellman through the city, or I’ll publish it in the County Gazette.’