"Harriet, my dear, you've gone too far--we had no right to pry into
Mr. Preston's private affairs."
"No more I had," said Lady Harriet, with a smile of winning
frankness: the first smile she had accorded to Mr. Preston for many
a long day; ever since the time, years ago, when, presuming on his
handsomeness, he had assumed a tone of gallant familiarity with Lady
Harriet, and paid her personal compliments as he would have done to
an equal.
"But he will excuse me, I hope," continued she, still in that
gracious manner which made him feel that he now held a much higher
place in her esteem than he had had at the beginning of their
interview, "when he learns that the busy tongues of the Hollingford
ladies have been speaking of my friend, Miss Gibson, in the most
unwarrantable manner; drawing unjustifiable inferences from the facts
of that intercourse with Mr. Preston, the nature of which he has just
conferred such a real obligation on me by explaining."
"I think I need hardly request Lady Harriet to consider this
explanation of mine as confidential," said Mr. Preston.
"Of course, of course!" said the earl; "every one will understand
that." And he rode home, and told his wife and Lady Cuxhaven the
whole conversation between Lady Harriet and Mr. Preston; in the
strictest confidence, of course. Lady Harriet had to stand a good
many strictures on manners, and proper dignity for a few days after
this. However, she consoled herself by calling on the Gibsons; and,
finding that Mrs. Gibson (who was still an invalid) was asleep at the
time, she experienced no difficulty in carrying off the unconscious
Molly for a walk, which Lady Harriet so contrived that they twice
passed through all the length of the principal street of the town,
loitered at Grinstead's for half an hour, and wound up by Lady
Harriet's calling on the Miss Brownings, who, to her regret, were not
at home.
"Perhaps, it's as well," said she, after a minute's consideration.
"I'll leave my card, and put your name down underneath it, Molly."
Molly was a little puzzled by the manner in which she had been taken
possession of, like an inanimate chattel, for all the afternoon, and
exclaimed,--"Please, Lady Harriet--I never leave cards; I have not
got any, and on the Miss Brownings, of all people; why, I am in and
out whenever I like."
"Never mind, little one. To-day you shall do everything properly, and
according to full etiquette."
"And now tell Mrs. Gibson to come out to the Towers for a long day;
we will send the carriage for her whenever she will let us know that
she is strong enough to come. Indeed, she had better come for a few
days; at this time of the year it doesn't do for an invalid to be out
in the evenings, even in a carriage." So spoke Lady Harriet, standing
on the white door-steps at Miss Brownings', and holding Molly's hand
while she wished her good-by. "You'll tell her, dear, that I came
partly to see her--but that finding her asleep, I ran off with you,
and don't forget about her coming to stay with us for change of
air--mamma will like it, I'm sure--and the carriage, and all that.
And now good-by, we've done a good day's work! And better than you're
aware of," continued she, still addressing Molly, though the latter
was quite out of hearing. "Hollingford is not the place I take it
to be, if it doesn't veer round in Miss Gibson's favour after my
to-day's trotting of that child about."