But Mrs. Thornburgh was unmanageable. She sat opposite to him with one
hand on each knee, solemnly demanding of him if _he_ knew what was to be
done with young women nowadays, because _she_ didn't.

The tormented vicar declined to be drawn into so illimitable a subject,
recommended patience, declared that it might be all a mistake, and tried
hard to absorb himself in the consideration of 2s. 8d. _plus_ 2s. 11d.
_minus_ 9d.

'And I suppose, William,' said his wife to him at last, with withering
sarcasm, 'that you'd sit by and see Catherine break that young man's
heart, and send him back to his mother no better than he came here, in
spite of all the beef-tea and jelly Sarah and I have been putting into
him, and never lift a finger. You'd see his life _blasted_ and you'd do
nothing--nothing, I suppose.'

And she fixed him with a fiercely interrogative eye.

'Of course,' cried the vicar, roused; 'I should think so. What good did
an outsider ever get by meddling in a love affair? Take care of
yourself, Emma. If the girl doesn't care for him, you can't make her.'

The vicar's wife rose, the upturned corners of her mouth saying
unutterable things.

'Doesn't care for him!' she echoed in a tone which implied that her
husband's headpiece was past praying for.

'Yes, doesn't care for him!' said the vicar, nettled. 'What else should
make her give him a snub like this?'

Mrs. Thornburgh looked at him again with exasperation. Then a curious
expression stole into her eyes.

'Oh, the Lord only knows!' she said, with a hasty freedom of speech
which left the vicar feeling decidedly uncomfortable as she shut the
door after her.

However, if the Higher Powers alone _knew_, Mrs. Thornburgh was
convinced that she could make a very shrewd guess at the causes of
Catherine's behaviour. In her opinion it was all pure 'cussedness.'
Catherine Leyburn had always conducted her life on principles entirely
different from those of other people. Mrs. Thornburgh wholly denied, as
she sat bridling by herself, that it was a Christian necessity to make
yourself and other people uncomfortable. Yet this was what this perverse
young woman was always doing. Here was a charming young man who had
fallen in love with her at first sight, and had done his best to make
the fact plain to her in the most chivalrous devoted ways. Catherine
encourages him, walks with him, talks with him, is for a whole three
weeks more gay and cheerful and more like other gir