oves (she
_will_ go out with holes in them) a ring at the front door bell was
followed by the advance of someone in rustling silk garments up the
stairs: the drawing-room door was opened, and there appeared a
young-looking, fair lady, who advanced brightly to greet me, with a
finished society manner, and an expression in her kind, blue eyes of
unmixed pleasure at the meeting. The name murmured at the door had not
reached my ears, and I was still wondering which of my child-friends had
developed into this charming and fashionable young lady, when Tabitha
burst into the room, flung her arms round the new-comer's neck, and
exclaimed, "You darling, who would have expected you to turn up so
charmingly, just when we didn't expect you!"

The light slowly dawned on my amazed intelligence. Could _this_--_this_
be the formidable, grey-haired woman, with whom I had been expecting,
and somewhat dreading, sooner or later, an encounter? Could _this_ be
the spectacled Committee-woman--the rampant bicyclist--the corrupter of
the youth of Tabitha? I looked at her immaculate dress, and pretty, neat
hair; I noted the winning expression of her eyes, and her sweetness of
manner; and instead of entrenching myself in the firm, though unspoken
hostility, which I had secretly cherished towards the idea of Aunt
Rennie, I felt myself yielding to the charm of a personality, whose
richness and sweetness were to me like a new experience of life.

I thought I had grasped the outlines of that personality in the first
interview, as we often do on forming a new acquaintance; but surprises
were yet in store for me. Aunt Rennie needed but little pressing to stay
the night, and then to add a second and a third day to her visit: she
was staying with some friends in the neighbourhood, and, it appeared,
could easily transfer herself to us. And as the time went on, I began to
feel that she had some secondary object in coming and in staying: I
thought I perceived a kind of diplomatic worldliness in Aunt Rennie,
which jarred with my first impression of her. I felt sure that her
purpose was in some way connected with Tabitha and John. She had, of
course, heard of Tabitha's friendship for him from her own letters, and
John she had known before we did. Well, it was on the fourth day that
Aunt Rennie, sitting cosily beside me, startled me by suddenly and
lightly remarking, that if I would consent, she wished to take Tabitha
back with her, at any rate for a time, to