expanding her heart and invigorating her frame, was a
thing that she felt herself to be nourishing as a traitor in her bosom:
and the worst was, that it came upon her like a reckless intoxication at
times, possessing her as a devil might; and justifying itself, too, and
daring to say, "Am I not Nature?" Mrs. Lupin shrank from the remembrance
of those moments.

In another age, the scenes between Mrs. Lupin and Mrs. Chump, greatly
significant for humanity as they are, will be given without offence
on one side or martyrdom on the other. At present, and before our
sentimentalists are a concrete, it would be profitless rashness to
depict them. When the great shots were fired off (Mrs. Chump being
requested to depart, and refusing) Mrs. Lupin fluttered between the
belligerents, doing her best to be a medium for the restoration of
peace. In repeating Mrs. Chump's remarks, which were rendered purposely
strong with Irish spice by that woman, she choked; and when she conveyed
to Mrs. Chump the counter-remarks of the ladies, she provoked utterances
that almost killed her. A sadder life is not to be imagined. The
perpetual irritation of a desire to indulge in her mortal weakness,
and listening to the sleepless conscience that kept watch over it; her
certainty that it would be better for her to laugh right out, and
yet her incapacity to contest the justice of her nieces' rebuke; her
struggle to resist Mrs. Chump, which ended in a sensation of secret
shameful liking for her--all these warring influences within were seen
in her behaviour.

"I have always said," observed Cornelia, "that she labours under a
disease." What is more, she had always told Mrs. Lupin as much, and her
sisters had echoed her. Three to one in such a case is a severe trial to
the reason of solitary one. And Mrs. Lupin's case was peculiar, inasmuch
as the more she yielded to Chump-temptation and eased her heart of
its load of laughter, the more her heart cried out against her and
subscribed to the scorn of her nieces. Mrs. Chump acted a demon's part;
she thirsted for Mrs. Lupin that she might worry her. Hitherto she had
not known that anything peculiar lodged in her tongue, and with no other
person did she think of using it to produce a desired effect; but now
the scenes in Brookfield became hideous to the ladies, and not wanting
in their trials to the facial muscles of the gentlemen. A significant
sign of what the ladies were enduring was, that they ceased to sp