Ifyouhad，you’dhaverecollectedthattherewassuchaword，evenifyoudidn’trememberwhatitwas。Ifyou’veneverreadthosestories，theywouldbejustthethingtobeguileyoursolitude—vastlyimprovingandmoral，andyetquitesufficientlyinteresting。I’lllendthemtoyouwhileyou’reallalone。’’I’mnotalone。I’mnotathome，butonavisittotheMissBrownings。’’ThenI’llbringthemtoyou。IknowtheMissBrownings；theyusedtocomeregularlyontheschool—daytotheTowers。PecksyandFlapsyIusedtocallthem。IliketheMissBrownings；onegetsenoughofrespectfromthematanyrate；andI’vealwayswantedtoseethekindofmé；nageofsuchpeople。I’llbringyouawholepileofMissEdgeworth’sstories，mydear。’Mollysatequitesilentforaminuteortwo；thenshemusteredupcouragetospeakoutwhatwasinhermind。’Yourladyship’（thetitlewasthefirstfruitsofthelesson，asMollytookit，onpayingduerespect）—’yourladyshipkeepsspeakingofthesortof—theclassofpeopletowhichIbelongasifitwasakindofstrangeanimalyouweretalkingabout；yetyoutalksoopenlytomethat——’’Well，goon—Iliketohearyou。’Stillsilence。’Youthinkmeinyourheartalittleimpertinent—now，don’tyou？’saidLadyHarriet，almostkindly。Mollyheldherpeacefortwoorthreemoments；
thensheliftedherbeautiful，honesteyestoLadyHarriet’sface，andsaid，—’Yes！—alittle。ButIthinkyouagreatmanyotherthings。’’We’llleavethe\"otherthings\"forthepresent。Don’tyousee，littleone，Italkedaftermykind，justasyoutalkafteryourkind。It’sonlyonthesurfacewithbothofus。Why，IdaresaysomeofyourgoodHollingfordladiestalkofthepoorpeopleinamannerwhichtheywouldconsiderasimpertinentintheirturn，iftheycouldhearit。ButIoughttobemoreconsideratewhenIrememberhowoftenmybloodhasboiledatthemodesofspeechandbehaviourofoneofmyaunts，mamma’ssister，Lady——No！
Iwon’tnamenames。Anyonewhoearnshislivelihoodbyanexerciseofheadorhands，fromprofessionalpeopleandrichmerchantsdowntolabourers，shecalls\"persons。\"Shewouldneverinhermostslip—sloptalkaccordthemeventheconventionaltitleof\"gentlemen；\"andthewayinwhichshetakespossessionofhumanbeings，\"mywoman，\"\"mypeople，\"—but，afterall，itisonlyawayofspeaking。Ioughtnottohaveusedittoyou；
butsomehowIseparateyoufromalltheseHollingfordpeople。’’Butwhy？’perseveredMolly。’I’moneofthem。’’Yes，youIare。But—nowdon’treprovemeagainforimpertinence—mostofthemaresounnaturalintheirexaggeratedrespectandadmirationwhentheycomeuptotheTowers，andputonsomuchpretencebywayoffinemanners，thattheyonlymakethemselvesobjectsofridicule。Youatleastaresimpleandtruthful，andthat’swhyIseparateyouinmyownmindfromthem，andhavetalkedunconsciouslytoyouasIwould——Well！nowhere’sanotherpieceofimpertinence—asIwouldtomyequal—inrank，Imean；
forIdon’tsetmyselfupinsolidthingsasanybetterthanmyneighbours。
Here’stea，however，comeintimetostopmefromgrowingtoohumble。’ItwasaverypleasantlittleteainthefadingSeptembertwilight。justasitwasended，incameMrPrestonagain。’LadyHarriet，willyouallowmethepleasureofshowingyousomealterationsIhavemadeintheflower—garden—inwhichIhavetriedtoconsultyourtaste—beforeitgrowsdark？’’Thankyou，MrPreston。Iwillrideoverwithpapasomeday，andwewillseeifweapproveofthem。’MrPreston’sbrowflushed。ButheaffectednottoperceiveLadyHarriet’shaughtiness，and，turningtoMolly，hesaid，—’Willnotyoucomeout，MissGibson，andseesomethingofthegardens？
Youhaven’tbeenoutatall，Ithink，exceptingtochurch。’Mollydidnotliketheideaofgoingoutforatê；te—à；—tê；tewalkwithMrPreston；yetshepinedforalittlefreshair，wouldhavelikedtohaveseenthegardens，andhavelookedattheManor—housefromdifferentaspects；and，besidesthis，muchassherecoiledfromMrPreston，shefeltsorryforhimundertherepulsehehadjustreceived。Whileshewashesitating，andslowlytendingtowardsconsent，LadyHarrietspoke，—’IcannotspareMissGibson。Ifshewouldliketoseetheplace，Iwillbringheroversomedaymyself。’Whenhehadlefttheroom，LadyHarrietsaid，—’Idaresayit’smyownlazyselfishnesshaskeptyouindoorsalldayagainstyourwill。But，atanyrate，youarenottogooutwalkingwiththatman。
I’veaninstinctiveaversiontohim；notentirelyinstinctiveeither；ithassomefoundationinfact；andIdesireyoudon’tallowhimevertogetintimatewithyou。He’saverycleverland—agent，anddoeshisdutybypapa，andIdon’tchoosetobetakenupforlibel；butrememberwhatI
say！’Thenthecarriagecameround，andafternumberlesslastwordsfromtheearl—whoappearedtohaveputoffeverypossibledirectiontothemomentwhenhestood，likeanawkwardMercury，balancinghimselfonthestepofthecarriage—theydrovebacktotheTowers。’Wouldyourathercomeinanddinewithus—weshouldsendyouhome，ofcourse—orgohomestraight？’askedLadyHarrietofMolly。Sheandherfatherhadbothbeensleepingtilltheydrewupatthebottomoftheflightofsteps。’Tellthetruth，nowandevermore。Truthisgenerallyamusing，ifit’snothingelse！’’IwouldrathergobacktoMissBrownings’atonce，please，’saidMolly，withanightmare—likerecollectionofthelast，theonlyeveningshehadspentattheTowers。LordCumnorwasstandingonthesteps，waitingtohandhisdaughteroutofthecarriage。LadyHarrietstoppedtokissMollyontheforehead，andtosay，—’Ishallcomesomedaysoon，andbringyoualoadofMissEdgeworth’stales，andmakefurtheracquaintancewithPecksyandFlapsy。’’No，don’t，please，’saidMolly，takingholdofher，todetainher。’Youmustnotcome—indeedyoumustnot。’’Whynot？’’BecauseIwouldrathernot—becauseIthinkthatIoughtnottohaveanyonecomingtoseemewholaughsatthefriendsIamstayingwith，andcallsthemnames。’Molly’sheartbeatveryfast，butshemeanteverywordthatshesaid。’Mydearlittlewoman！’saidLadyHarriet，bendingoverherandspeakingquitegravely。’I’mverysorrytohavecalledthemnames—very，verysorrytohavehurtyou。IfIpromiseyoutoberespectfultotheminwordanddeed—andinverythought，ifIcan—you’llletmethen，won’tyou？’Mollyhesitated。’I’dbettergohomeatonce；Ishallonlysaywrongthings—andthere’sLordCumnorwaitingallthistime。’’Lethimalone；he’sverywellamusedhearingallthenewsofthedayfromBrown。ThenIshallcome—underpromise？’SoMollydroveoffinsolitarygrandeur；andMissBrownings’knockerwasloosenedonitsvenerablehingesbythenever—endingpealofLordCumnor’sfootman。Theywerefullofwelcome，fullofcuriosity。Allthroughthelongdaytheyhadbeenmissingtheirbrightyoungvisitor，andthreeorfourtimesineveryhourtheyhadbeenwonderingandsettlingwhateverybodywasdoingatthatexactminute。WhathadbecomeofMollyduringalltheafternoon，hadbeenagreatperplexitytothem；andtheywereverymuchoppressedwithasenseofthegreathonourshehadreceivedinbeingallowedtospendsomanyhourstê；te—à；—tê；tewithLadyHarriet。
Theywere，indeed，moreexcitedbythisonefactthanbyallthedetailsofthewedding，mostofwhichtheyhadknownofbeforehand，andtalkedoverwithmuchperseveranceduringtheday。MollybegantofeelasiftherewassomefoundationforLadyHarriet’sinclinationtoridiculetheworshippaidbythegoodpeopleofHollingfordtotheirliegelords，andtowonderwithwhattokensofreverencetheywouldreceiveLadyHarrietifshecametopayherpromisedvisit。Shehadneverthoughtofconcealingtheprobabilityofthiscalluntilthisevening；butnowshefeltasifitwouldbebetternottospeakofthechance，asshewasnotatallsureifthepromisewouldbefulfilled。BeforeLadyHarriet’scallwaspaid，Mollyreceivedanothervisit。RogerHamleycameridingoveronedaywithanotefromhismother，andawasps’—nestasapresentfromhimself。Mollyheardhispowerfulvoicecomesoundingupthelittlestaircase，asheaskedifMissGibsonwasathomefromtheservant—maidatthedoor；andshewashalfamusedandhalfannoyedasshethoughthowthiscallofhiswouldgivecolourtoMissBrowning’sfancies。
’Iwouldratherneverbemarriedatall，’thoughtshe，’thanmarryanuglyman，—anddeargoodMrRogerisreallyugly；Idon’tthinkonecouldevencallhimplain。’YettheMissBrownings，whodidnotlookuponyoungmenasiftheirnaturalcostumewasahelmetandasuitofarmour，thoughtMrRogerHamleyaverypersonableyoungfellow，ashecameintotheroom，hisfaceflushedwithexercise，hiswhiteteethshowingpleasantlyinthecourteousbowandsmilehegavetoallaround。HeknewtheMissBrowningsslightly，andtalkedpleasantlytothemwhileMollyreadMrsHamley’slittlemissiveofsympathyandgoodwishesrelatingtothewedding；thenheturnedtoher，andthoughtheMissBrowningslistenedwithalltheirears，theycouldnotfindoutanythingremarkableeitherinthewordshesaidorthetoneinwhichtheywerespoken。’I’vebroughtyouthewasps’—nestIpromisedyou，MissGibson。Therehasbeennolackofsuchthingsthisyear；we’vetakenseventy—fouronmyfather’slandalone；andoneofthelabourers，apoorfellowwhoekesouthiswagesbybee—keeping，hashadasadmisfortune—thewaspshaveturnedthebeesoutofhissevenhives，takenpossession，andeatenupthehoney。’’Whatgreedylittlevermin！’saidMissBrowning。MollysawRoger’seyestwinkleatthemisapplicationoftheword；’butthoughhehadastrongsenseofhumour，itneverappearedtodiminishhisrespectforthepeoplewhoamusedhim。’I’msuretheydeservefireandbrimstonemorethanthepoordearinnocentbees，’saidMissPhoebe。’Andthenitseemssoungratefulofmankind，whoaregoingtofeastonthehoney！’Shesighedoverthethought，asifitwastoomuchforher。WhileMollyfinishedreadinghernote，heexplaineditscontentstoMissBrowning。’MybrotherandIaregoingwithmyfathertoanagriculturalmeetingatCanonburyonThursday，andmymotherdesiredmetosaytoyouhowverymuchobligedtoyousheshouldbeifyouwouldspareherMissGibsonfortheday。Shewasveryanxioustoaskforthepleasureofyourcompany，too，butshereallyissopoorlythatwepersuadedhertobecontentwithMissGibson，asshewouldn’tscrupleleavingayoungladytoamuseherself，whichshewouldbeunwillingtodoifyouandyoursisterwerethere。’’I’msureshe’sverykind；very。Nothingwouldhavegivenusmorepleasure，’
saidMissBrowning，drawingherselfupingratifieddignity。’Oh，yes，wequiteunderstand，MrRoger；andwefullyrecognizeMrsHamley’skindintention。Wewilltakethewillforthedeed，asthecommonpeopleexpressit。IbelievethattherewasanintermarriagebetweentheBrowningsandtheHamleys，agenerationortwoago。’’Idaresaytherewas，’saidRoger。’Mymotherisverydelicate，andobligedtohumourherhealth，whichhasmadeherkeepalooffromsociety。’’ThenImaygo？’saidMolly，sparklingwiththeideaofseeingherdearMrsHamleyagain，yetafraidofappearingtoodesirousofleavingherkindoldfriends。’Tobesure，mydear。Writeaprettynote，andtellMrsHamleyhowmuchobligedtoherweareforthinkingofus。’’I’mafraidIcan’twaitforanote，’saidRoger。’Imusttakeamessageinstead，forIhavetomeetmyfatheratoneo’clock，andit’scloseuponitnow。’Whenhewasgone，Mollyfeltsolight—heartedatthethoughtsofThursdaythatshecouldhardlyattendtowhattheMissBrowningsweresaying。OnewastalkingabouttheprettymuslingownwhichMollyhadsenttothewashonlythatmorning，andcontrivinghowitcouldbehadbackagainintimeforMollytowear；andtheother，MissPhoebe，totallyinattentivetohersister’sspeakingforawonder，waspipingoutaseparatestrainofherown，andsingingRogerHamley’spraises。’Suchafine—lookingyoungman，andsocourteousandaffable。Liketheyoungmenofouryouthnow，ishenot，sister？AndyettheyallsayMrOsborneisthehandsomest。Whatdoyouthink，child？’’I’veneverseenMrOsborne，’saidMolly，blushing，andhatingherselffordoingso。Whywasit？Shehadneverseenhimasshesaid。Itwasonlythatherfancyhaddweltonhimsomuch。Hewasgone；allthegentlemenweregonebeforethecarriage，whichcametofetchMollyonThursday，reachedHamleyHall。ButMollywasalmostglad，shewassomuchafraidofbeingdisappointed。Besides，shehadherdearMrsHamleythemoretoherself；thequietsitinthemorning—room，talkingpoetryandromance；themid—daysaunterintothegarden，brilliantwithautumnalflowersandglitteringdew—dropsonthegossamerwebsthatstretchedfromscarlettoblue，andthencetopurpleandyellowpetals。Astheyweresittingatlunch，astrangeman’svoiceandstepwereheardinthehall；
thedoorwasopened，andayoungmancamein，whocouldbenootherthanOsborne。Hewasbeautifulandlanguid—looking，almostasfrailinappearanceashismother，whomhestronglyresembled。Thisseemingdelicacymadehimappearolderthanhewas。Hewasdressedtoperfection，andyetwitheasycarelessness。Hecameuptohismother，andstoodbyher，holdingherhand，whilehiseyessoughtMolly，notboldlyorimpertinently，butasifappraisinghercritically。’Yes！I’mbackagain。Bullocks，Ifind，arenotinmyline。Ionlydisappointedmyfatherinnotbeingabletoappreciatetheirmerits，and，I’mafraid，Ididn’tcaretolearn。Andthesmellwasinsufferableonsuchahotday。’’Mydearboy，don’tmakeapologiestome；keepthemforyourfather。I’monlytoogladtohaveyouback。MissGibson，thistallfellowismysonOsborne，asIdaresayyouhaveguessed。Osborne—MissGibson。Now，whatwillyouhave？’Helookedroundthetableashesatedown。’Nothinghere，’saidhe。’Istherenotsomecoldgame—pie？I’llringforthat。’Mollywastryingtoreconciletheidealwiththereal。Theidealwasagile，yetpowerful，withGreekfeaturesandaneagle—eye，capableofenduringlongfasting，andindifferentastowhatheate。Therealwasalmosteffeminateinmovement，thoughnotinfigure；hehadtheGreekfeatures，buthisblueeyeshadacold，wearyexpressioninthem。Hewasdaintyineating，andhadanythingbutaHomericappetite。However，Molly’sherowasnottoeatmorethanIvanhoe，whenhewasFriarTuck’sguest；’and，afterall，withalittlealteration，shebegantothinkMrOsborneHamleymightturnoutapoetical，ifnotachivalroushero。Hewasextremelyattentivetohismother，whichpleasedMolly，and，inreturn，MrsHamleyseemedcharmedwithhimtosuchadegreethatMollyonceortwicefanciedthatmotherandsonwouldhavebeenhappierinherabsence。Yet，again，itstruckontheshrewd，ifsimplegirl，thatOsbornewasmentallysquintingatherintheconversationwhichwasdirectedtohismother。Therewerelittleturnsand’fioriture’ofspeechwhichMollycouldnothelpfeelingweregracefulanticsoflanguagenotcommoninthesimpledailyintercoursebetweenmotherandson。Butitwasflatteringratherthanotherwisetoperceivethataveryfineyoungman，whowasapoettoboot，shouldthinkitworthwhiletotalkonthetightropeforherbenefit。Andbeforetheafternoonwasended，withouttherehavingbeenanydirectconversationbetweenOsborneandMolly，shehadreinstatedhimonhisthroneinherimagination；indeed，shehadalmostfeltherselfdisloyaltoherdearMrsHamleywhen，inthefirsthourafterherintroduction，shehadquestionedhisclaimsonhismother’sidolatry。Hisbeautycameoutmoreandmore，ashebecameanimatedinsomediscussionwithher；andallhisattitudes，ifalittlestudied，weregracefulintheextreme。BeforeMollyleft，thesquireandRogerreturnedfromCanonbury。’Osbornehere！’saidthesquire，redandpanting。’Whythedeucecouldn’tyoutellusyouwerecominghome？Ilookedaboutforyoueverywhere，justasweweregoingintotheordinary。IwantedtointroduceyoutoGrantley，andFox，andLordForrest—menfromtheothersideofthecounty，whomyououghttoknow；andRogertheremissedabovehalfhisdinnerhuntingaboutforyou；andallthetimeyou’dstoleaway，andwerequietlysittingherewiththewomen。Iwishyou’dletmeknowthenexttimeyoumakeoff。I’velosthalfmypleasureinlookingatasfinealotofcattleasIeversaw，withthinkingyoumightbehavingoneofyouroldattacksoffaintness。’’Ishouldhavehadone，Ithink，ifI’dstayedlongerinthatatmosphere。
ButI’msorryifI’vecausedyouanxiety。’’Well！well！’saidthesquire，somewhatmollified。’AndRoger，too，—thereI’vebeensendinghimhereandsendinghimtherealltheafternoon。’’Ididn’tmindit，sir。Iwasonlysorryyouweresouneasy。IthoughtOsbornehadgonehome，forIknewitwasn’tmuchinhisway，’saidRoger。Mollyinterceptedaglancebetweenthetwobrothers—alookoftrueconfidenceandlove，whichsuddenlymadeherlikethembothundertheaspectofrelationship—newtoherobservation。Rogercameuptoher，andsatedownbyher。’Well，andhowareyougettingonwithHuber；don’tyoufindhimveryinteresting？’’I’mafraid，’saidMolly，penitently，’Ihaven’treadmuch。TheMissBrowningslikemetotalk；and，besides，thereissomuchtodoathomebeforepapacomesback；andMissBrowningdoesn’tlikemetogowithouther。Iknowitsoundsnothing，butitdoestakeupagreatdealoftime。’’Whenisyourfathercomingback？’’NextTuesday，Ibelieve。Hecannotstaylongaway。’’IshallrideoverandpaymyrespectstoMrsGibson，’saidhe。’IshallcomeassoonasImay。YourfatherhasbeenaverykindfriendtomeeversinceIwasaboy。AndwhenIcome，Ishallexpectmypupiltohavebeenverydiligent，’heconcluded，smilinghiskind，pleasantsmileatidleMolly。Thenthecarriagecameround，andshehadthelongsolitarydrivebacktoMissBrownings’。Itwasdarkoutofdoorswhenshegotthere；butMissPhoebewasstandingonthestairs，withalightedcandleinherhand，peeringintothedarknesstoseeMollycomein。’Oh，Molly！Ithoughtyou’dnevercomeback。Suchapieceofnews！Sisterhasgonetobed；she’shadaheadache—withtheexcitement，Ithink；butshesaysit’snewbread。Comeupstairssoftly，mydear，andI’lltellyouwhatitis！Whodoyouthinkhasbeenhere，—drinkingteawithus，too，inthemostcondescendingmanner？’’LadyHarriet？’saidMolly，suddenlyenlightenedbytheword’condescending。’’Yes。Why，howdidyouguessit？But，afterall，hercall，atanyrateinthefirstinstance，wasuponyou。Ohdear，Molly！ifyou’renotinahurrytogotobed，letmesitdownquietlyandtellyouallaboutit；
formyheartjumpsintomymouthstillwhenIthinkofhowIwascaught。
She—thatis，herladyship—leftthecarriageatthe\"George，\"andtooktoherfeettogoshopping—justasyouorImayhavedonemanyatimeinourlives。Andsisterwastakingherfortywinks；andIwassittingwithmygownupabovemykneesandmyfeetonthefender，pullingoutmygrandmother’slacewhichI’dbeenwashing。Theworsthasyettobetold。
I’dtakenoffmycap，forIthoughtitwasgettingduskandnoonewouldcome，andtherewasIinmyblacksilkskull—cap，whenNancyputherheadin，andwhispered，\"There’saladydownstairs—arealgrandone，byhertalk；\"andintherecamemyLadyHarriet，sosweetandprettyinherways，itwassometimebeforeIrememberedIhadneveracapon。Sisterneverwakened；orneverrousedup，sotosay。ShesaysshethoughtitwasNancybringingintheteawhensheheardsomeonemoving；forherladyship，assoonasshesawthestateofthecase，cameandkneltdownontherugbyme，andbeggedmypardonsoprettilyforhavingfollowedNancyupstairswithoutwaitingforpermission；andwassotakenbymyoldlace，andwantedtoknowhowIwashedit，andwhereyouwere，andwhenyou’dbeback，andwhenthehappycouplewouldbeback：tillsisterwakened—she’salwaysalittlebitputout，youknow，whenshefirstwakensfromherafternoonnap，—and，withoutturningherheadtoseewhoitwas，shesaid，quitesharp，—\"Buzz，buzz，buzz！Whenwillyoulearnthatwhisperingismorefidgetingthantalkingoutloud？I’venotbeenabletosleepatallforthechatteryouandNancyhavebeenkeepingupallthistime。\"Youknowthatwasalittlefancyofsister’s，forshe’dbeensnoringawayasnaturallyascouldbe。SoIwenttoher，andleantoverher，andsaid，inalowvoice，—’\"Sister，it’sherladyshipandmethathasbeenconversing。’’\"Ladyshiphere，ladyshipthere！haveyoulostyourwits，Phoebe，thatyoutalksuchnonsense—andinyourskull—cap，too！\"’Bythistimeshewassittingup，and，lookingroundher，shesawLadyHarriet，inhervelvetsandsilks，sittingonourrug，smiling，herbonnetoff，andherprettyhairallbrightwiththeblazeofthefire。Myword！
Sisterwasuponherfeetdirectly；andshedroppedhercurtsey，andmadeherexcusesforsleeping，asfastasmightbe，whileIwentofftoputonmybestcap，forsistermightwellsayIwasoutofmywitstogoonchattingtoanearl’sdaughterinanoldblacksilkskull—cap。Blacksilk，too！when，ifI’donlyknownshewascoming，Imighthaveputonmynewbrownsilkone，lyingidleinmytopdrawer。AndwhenIcameback，sisterwasorderingteaforherladyship，—ourtea，Imean。SoItookmyturnattalk，andsisterslippedouttoputonherSundaysilk。ButIdon’tthinkwewerequitesomuchatourcasewithherladyshipaswhenIsatepullingoutmylaceinmyskull—cap。Andshewasquitestruckwithourtea，andaskedwherewegotit，forshehadnevertastedanylikeitbefore；
andItoldherwegaveonly3s。4d。apoundforit，atJohnson’s—（sistersaysIoughttohavetoldherthepriceofourcompany—tea，whichis5s。apound，onlythatwasnotwhatweweredrinking；for，asill—luckwouldhaveit，we’dnoneofitinthehouse）—andshesaidshewouldsendussomeofhers，allthewayfromRussiaorPrussia，orsomeout—of—the—wayplace，andweweretocompareandseewhichwelikedbest；
andifwelikedhersbest，shecouldgetitforusat3s。apound。
Andsheleftherloveforyou；and，thoughshewasgoingaway，youwerenottoforgether。Sisterthoughtsuchamessagewouldsetyouuptoomuch，andtoldmeshewouldnotbechargeableforthegivingityou。\"But，\"I
said，\"amessageisamessage，andit’sonMolly’sownshouldersifshe’ssetupbyit。Letusshowheranexampleofhumility，sister，thoughwehavebeensittingcheek—by—jowlinsuchcompany。\"Sosisterhumphed，andsaidshe’daheadache，andwenttobed。Andnowyoumaytellmeyournews，mydear。’SoMollytoldhersmallevents；which，interestingastheymighthavebeenatothertimestothegossip—lovingandsympatheticMissPhoebe，wereratherpaleinthestrongerlightreflectedfromthevisitofanearl’sdaughter。
chapter15CHAPTERXVTHENEWMAMMAOnTuesdayafternoonMollyreturnedhome，tothehomewhichwasalreadystrange，andwhatWarwickshirepeoplewouldcall’unked，’toher。Newpaint，newpaper，newcolours；grimservantsdressedintheirbest，andobjectingtoeverychange—fromtheirmaster’smarriagetothenewoilclothinthehall，’whichtripped’emup，andthrew’emdown，andwascoldtothefeet，andsmeltjustabominable。’AllthesecomplaintsMollyhadtolistento，anditwasnotacheerfulpreparationforthereceptionwhichshealreadyfelttobesoformidable。Thesoundoftheircarriage—wheelswasheardatlast，andMollywenttothefrontdoortomeetthem。Herfathergotoutfirst，andtookherhandandhelditwhilehehelpedhisbridetoalight。Thenhekissedherfondly，andpassedherontohiswife；butherveilwassosecurely（andbecomingly）
fasteneddown，thatitwassometimebeforeMrsGibsoncouldgetherlipscleartogreethernewdaughter。Thentherewasluggagetobeseenabout；
andboththetravellerswereoccupiedinthis，whileMollystoodby，tremblingwithexcitement，unabletohelp，andonlyconsciousofBetty’srathercrosslooks，asheavyboxafterheavyboxjammedupthepassage。’Molly，mydear，show—yourmammatoherroom！’MrGibsonhadhesitated，becausethequestionofthenamebywhichMollywastocallhernewrelationhadneveroccurredtohimbefore。ThecolourflashedintoMolly’sface。Wasshetocallher’mamma’？—thenamelongappropriatedinhermindtosomeoneelse—toherowndeadmother。Therebelliousheartroseagainstit，butshesaidnothing。Sheledthewayupstairs，MrsGibsonturninground，fromtimetotime，withsomefreshdirectionastowhichbagortrunksheneededmost。ShehardlyspoketoMollytilltheywerebothinthenewly—furnishedbedroom，whereasmallfirehadbeenlightedbyMolly’sorders。’Now，mylove，wecanembraceeachotherinpeace。Ohdear，howtiredI
am！’—（aftertheembracehadbeenaccomplished。）’Myspiritsaresoeasilyaffectedwithfatigue；butyourdearpapahasbeenkindnessitself。Dear！
whatanold—fashionedbed！Andwhata—Butitdoesn’tsignify。By—and—bywe’llrenovatethehouse—won’twe，mydear？Andyou’llbemylittlemaidto—night，andhelpmetoarrangeafewthings，forI’mjustwornoutwiththeday’sjourney。’’I’veorderedasortoftea—dinnertobereadyforyou，’saidMolly。’ShallIgoandtellthemtosenditin？’’I’mnotsureifIcangodownagainto—night。Itwouldbeverycomfortabletohavealittletablebroughtinhere，andsitinmydressing—gownbythischeerfulfire。But，tobesure，there’syourdearpapa？Ireallydon’tthinkhewouldeatanythingifIwerenotthere。Onemustnotthinkaboutoneself，youknow。Yes，I’llcomedowninaquarterofanhour。’ButMrGibsonhadfoundanoteawaitinghim，withanimmediatesummonstoanoldpatient，dangerouslyill；and，snatchingamouthfuloffoodwhilehishorsewasbeingsaddled，hehadtoresumeatoncehisoldhabitsofattentiontohisprofessionaboveeverything。AssoonasMrsGibsonfoundthathewasnotlikelytomissherpresence—hehadeatenaverytolerablelunchofbreadandcoldmeatinsolitude，soherfearsabouthisappetiteinherabsencewerenotwellfounded—