sweetmeats. Being seen so much in the outer world, she
became common, and her character did not stand so high as did that
of her sister. Some people were ill-natured enough to say that she
wanted to marry Mr. Winthrop; but of what maiden lady that goes out
into the world are not such stories told? And all such stories in
Silverbridge were told with special reference to Mr. Winthrop.

Miss Crawley, at present, lived with the Miss Prettymans, and
assisted them in the school. This arrangement had been going on for
the last twelve months, since the time in which Grace would have left
the school in the natural course of things. There had been no bargain
made, and no intention that Grace should stay. She had been invited
to fill the place of an absent superintendent, first, for one
month, then for another, and then for two more months; and when the
assistant came back, the Miss Prettymans thought there were reasons
why Grace should be asked to remain a little longer. But they took
great care to let the fashionable world of Silverbridge know that
Grace Crawley was a visitor with them, and not a teacher. "We pay
her no salary, or anything of that kind," said Miss Anne Prettyman;
a statement, however, which was by no means true, for during those
four months the regular stipend had been paid to her; and twice since
then, Miss Annabella Prettyman, who managed all the money matters,
had called Grace into her little room, and had made a little speech,
and had put a little bit of paper into her hand. "I know I ought
not to take it," Grace had said to her friend Anne. "If I was not
here, there would be no one in my place." "Nonsense, my dear," Anne
Prettyman had said; "it is the greatest comfort to us in the world.
And you should make yourself nice, you know, for his sake. All the
gentlemen like it." Then Grace had been very angry, and had sworn
that she would give the money back again. Nevertheless, I think she
did make herself as nice as she knew how to do. And from all this it
may be seen that the Miss Prettymans had hitherto quite approved of
Major Grantly's attentions.

But when this terrible affair came on about the cheque which had been
lost and found and traced to Mr. Crawley's hands, Miss Anne Prettyman
said nothing further to Grace Crawley about Major Grantly. It was not
that she thought that Mr. Crawley was guilty, but she knew enough of
the world to be aware that suspicion of such guilt might compel such
a man as Major