ut of a window seat whenever
they entered a room.

As for the Vidame, being destitute of all other entertainment, he made
love in a devoted manner.

But at dinner, after Mrs. Brown-Smith's arrival, though he sat next
Matilda, Mrs. Malory saw that his eyes were mainly bent on the lady
opposite. The ping-pong of conversation, even, was played between him
and Mrs. Brown-Smith across the table: the county neighbours were quite
lost in their endeavours to follow the flight of the ball. Though the
drawing-room window, after dinner, was open on the fragrant lawn, though
Matilda sat close by it, in her wonted place, the Vidame was hanging over
the chair of the visitor, and later, played billiards with her, a game at
which Matilda did not excel. At family prayers next morning (the service
was conducted by Mrs. Malory) the Vidame appeared with a white rosebud in
his buttonhole, Mrs. Brown-Smith wearing its twin sister. He took her to
the stream in the park where she fished, Matilda following in a drooping
manner. The Vidame was much occupied in extracting the flies from the
hair of Mrs. Brown-Smith, in which they were frequently entangled. After
luncheon he drove with the two ladies and Mrs. Malory to the country
town, the usual resource of ladies in the country, and though he sat next
Matilda, Mrs. Brown-Smith was beaming opposite, and the pair did most of
the talking. While Mrs. Malory and her daughter shopped, it was the
Vidame who took Mrs. Brown-Smith to inspect the ruins of the Abbey. The
county neighbours had left in the morning, a new set arrived, and while
Matilda had to entertain them, it was Mrs Brown-Smith whom the Vidame
entertained.

This kind of thing went on; when Matilda was visiting her cottagers it
was the Vidame and Mrs. Brown-Smith whom visitors flushed in window
seats. They wondered that Mrs. Malory had asked so dangerous a woman to
the house: they marvelled that she seemed quite radiant and devoted to
her lively visitor. There was a school feast: it was the Vidame who
arranged hurdle-races for children of both sexes (so improper!), and who
started the competitors.

Meanwhile Mrs. Malory, so unusually genial in public, held frequent
conventicles with Matilda in private. But Matilda declined to be
jealous; they were only old friends, she said, these flagitious two; Dear
Anne (that was the Vidame's Christian name) was all that she could wish.

'You know the place is _so_ dull, mother,' the brav