e river; but picnic
parties must be deferred till settled weather came. There was every
hope that the middle of the summer would be fine and seasonable, if the
rains came down freely now.

This course of meteorological events involved two great vexations to
Mrs Rowland. One was, that the neighbours, who could pretend to
entertain the strangers only in a quiet way at home, took the
opportunity of the rainy weather to do so, hoping, as they said, not to
interfere with any more agreeable engagements. Mrs Rowland really
never saw anything so dissipated as the Greys; they were out almost
every evening when they had not company at home. It was impossible that
Sophia's studies could go on as they ought to do. What with taking a
quiet cup of tea with one acquaintance, and being at a merry reading
party at another's, and Mrs Enderby's little dance, and dinner at the
Levitts', there were few evenings left; and on those few evenings they
were never content to be alone. They were always giving the young men
encouragement to go in. Mr Hope made quite a home house of Mr Grey's;
and as for Philip, he seemed now to be more at Mr Grey's than even at
his own mother's or Sister's. Mrs Grey ought to remember how bad all
this was for a girl of Sophia's age. It would completely spoil the
excursion to Dingleford woods. The young people knew one another so
well by this time, that the novelty was all worn off, and they would
have nothing left to say to each other. It was provoking that Mr
Rowland had promised that the excursion should take place whenever the
weather should be settled enough. It might so fairly have been given
up! and now it must be gone on with, when every one was tired of the
idea, and the young people must almost be weary of one another, from
being always together!

The other vexation was, that there were frequent short intervals of fine
weather, which were immediately taken advantage of for a drive, or a
walk, or a sail; and it came out one day from the children, who had
learned it in the schoolroom, that the Miss Ibbotsons had been in
Dingleford woods. There had been no such intention when the party set
out; they had not designed to go nearly so far; but they had been
tempted on by the beauty of the evening and of the scenery, till they
had found it the shortest way to come home through the Dingleford woods.
Mrs Rowland pronounced this abominable; and she was not appeased by
hearing that her brother had been