a, though small and pale, was one of the healthy women who seem
unable to believe in any ailments short of a raging fever; and when she
heard of neuralgia, decided that it was all a matter of imagination, and
a sort of excuse for breaking off the numerous occupations in which she
felt his value, but only as she would have acknowledged that of a good
schoolmaster. Their friendly intercourse had never ripened into
intimacy, and was still punctiliously courteous; each tacitly dreaded the
influence of the other on the Vicar-in-Church matters, and every visit of
the Westhaven family confirmed Lady Adela's belief that it was
undesirable to go below the surface.

Bertha, who came down for a day or two to assist at the breaking-up
demonstration of the High School at Colbeam, was as ever much more
cordial. The chief drawbacks with her were that cynical tone, which made
it always doubtful whether she were making game of her hearers, and the
philanthropy, not greatly tinged with religion, so as to confuse
old-fashioned minds. She used to bring down strange accounts of her
startling adventures in the slums, and relate them in a rattling style,
interluded with slang, being evidently delighted to shock and puzzle her
hearers; but still she was always good-natured in deed if not in word,
and Lord Northmoor was very grateful for her offer of hospitality to
Herbert, who was coming to London for his preliminary examination.

She had come up to call, determined to be of use to them, and she had
experience enough of travelling to be very helpful. Finding that they
shuddered at the notion of fashionable German '_baden_,' she exclaimed--

'I'll hit you off! There's that place in the Austrian Tyrol that Lettice
Bury frequents--a regular primitive place with a name--Oh, what is it,
Addie, like rats and mice?'

'Ratzes,' said Adela.

'Yes. The tourists have not molested it yet, and only natives bathe
there, so she goes every year to renovate herself and sketch, and comes
back furbished up like an old snake, with lots of drawings of impossible
peaks, like Titian's backgrounds. We'll write and tell her to make ready
for the head of her house!'

'Oh, but--' began Frank, looking to his wife.

'Would it not be intruding?' said Mary.

'She will be enchanted! She always likes to have anything to do for
anybody, and she says the scenery is just a marvel. You care for that!
You are so deliciously fresh, beauties aren't a bore to you.'