inion," said Mr Wodehouse. Mr Wodehouse's daughters
talked over the matter, and settled exactly between themselves what was
Miss Marjoribanks's age, and how much older she was than her supposed
suitor--a question always interesting to the female mind. And it was
natural that in these circumstances Nettie should come to hear of it
all in its full details, with the various comments naturally suggesting
themselves thereupon. What Nettie's opinion was, however, nobody could
ever gather; perhaps she thought Dr Edward was justified in putting an
immediate barrier between himself and her. At all events, she was
perfectly clear upon the point that it could not have been otherwise,
and that no other decision was possible to herself.

The spring lagged on, accordingly, under these circumstances. Those
commonplace unalterable days, varied in nothing but the natural
fluctuations of making and mending,--those evenings with Fred sulky by
the fire--always sulky, because deprived by Nettie's presence of his
usual indulgences; or if not so, then enjoying himself after his dismal
fashion in his own room, with most likely Susan bearing him company, and
the little maiden head of the house left all by herself in the solitary
parlour,--passed on one by one, each more tedious than the other. It
seemed impossible that such heavy hours could last, and prolong themselves
into infinitude, as they did; but still one succeeded another in endless
hard procession. And Nettie shed back her silky load of hair, and pressed
her tiny fingers on her eyes, and went on again, always dauntless. She
said to herself, with homely philosophy, that this could not last very
long; not with any tragical meaning, but with a recognition of the
ordinary laws of nature which young ladies under the pressure of a first
disappointment are not apt to recur to. She tried, indeed, to calculate
in herself, with forlorn heroism, how long it might be expected to last,
and, though she could not fix the period, endeavoured to content herself
with the thought that things must eventually fall into their natural
condition. In the mean time it was slow and tedious work enough--but
they did pass one after another, these inevitable days.

One night Nettie was sitting by herself in the parlour busy over her
needlework. Fred and his wife, she thought, were up-stairs. They had
left her early in the evening,--Susan to lie down, being tired--Fred to
his ordinary amusements. It was a matter of