inquiries on foot, and she was not the sort of girl that you should
marry."

"By G----," said Gilmore, "I'd give every acre I have in the world,
and every shilling, and every friend, and twenty years of my life, if
I could only be allowed at this moment to think it possible that she
would ever marry me!"

"Good heavens!" said Mr. Chamberlaine. While he was saying it, Harry
Gilmore walked off, and did not show himself to his uncle again that
night.

CHAPTER XXV.

CARRY BRATTLE.

On the day after the dinner-party at Hampton Privets Mr. Fenwick made
his little excursion out in the direction towards Devizes, of which
he had spoken to his wife. The dinner had gone off very quietly, and
there was considerable improvement in the coffee. There was some
gentle sparring between the two clergymen, if that can be called
sparring in which all the active pugnacity was on one side. Mr.
Fenwick endeavoured to entrap Mr. Chamberlaine into arguments, but
the Prebendary escaped with a degree of skill,--without the shame of
sullen refusal,--that excited the admiration of Mr. Fenwick's wife.
"After all, he is a clever man," she said, as she went home, "or he
could never slip about as he does, like an eel, and that with so very
little motion."

On the next morning the Vicar started alone in his gig. He had
at first said that he would take with him a nondescript boy, who
was partly groom, partly gardener, and partly shoeblack, and who
consequently did half the work of the house; but at last he decided
that he would go alone. "Peter is very silent, and most meritoriously
uninterested in everything," he said to his wife. "He wouldn't tell
much, but even he might tell something." So he got himself into
his gig, and drove off alone. He took the Devizes road, and passed
through Lavington without asking a question; but when he was half way
between that place and Devizes, he stopped his horse at a lane that
led away to the right. He had been on the road before, but he did
not know that lane. He waited awhile till an old woman whom he saw
coming to him, reached him, and asked her whether the lane would take
him across to the Marlborough Road. The old woman knew nothing of
the Marlborough Road, and looked as though she had never heard of
Marlborough. Then he asked the way to Pycroft Common. Yes; the lane
would take him to Pycroft Common. Would it take him to the Bald-faced
Stag? The old woman said it would take him to Rump End Corne