he reached her
point, Mrs. Higgins became lucid and emphatic.

'I've heard things as have made me that angry I can hardly bear
myself. Would you believe that people are trying to take away my
daughter's character? It's Cissy 'Iggins's doing: I'm sure of it,
though I haven't brought it 'ome to her yet. I dropped in to see
some friends of ours--I shouldn't wonder if you know the name; it's
Mrs. Jolliffe, a niece of Mr. Baxter--Baxter, Lukin and Co., you
know. And she told me in confidence what people are saying--as how
Louise was to marry Mr. Bowling, but he broke it off when he found
_the sort of people she was living with_, here at Sutton--and a
great many more things as I shouldn't like to tell you. Now what
_do_ you think of--'

Emmeline, her eyes flashing, broke in angrily:

'I think nothing at all about it, Mrs. Higgins, and I had very much
rather not hear the talk of such people.'

'I don't wonder it aggravates you, Mrs. Mumford. Did anyone ever
hear such a scandal! I'm sure nobody that knows you could say a word
against your respectability, and, as I told Mrs. Jolliffe, she's
quite at liberty to call here to-morrow or the next day--'

'Not to see _me_, I hope,' said Emmeline. 'I must refuse--'

'Now just let me tell you what I've thought,' pursued the stout
lady, hardly aware of this interruption. 'This'll have to be set
right, both for Lou's sake and for yours, and to satisfy us all.
They're making a mystery, d'you see, of Lou leaving 'ome and going
off to live with strangers; and Cissy's been doing her best to make
people think there's something wrong--the spiteful creature! And
there's only one way of setting it right. As soon as Lou can be
dressed and got down, and when the drawing-room's finished, I want
her to ask all our friends here to five o'clock tea, just to let
them see with their own eyes--'

'Mrs. Higgins!'

'Of course there'll be no expense for _you_, Mrs. Mumford--not a
farthing. I'll provide everything, and all I ask of you is just to
sit in your own drawing-room--'

'Mrs. Higgins, be so kind as to listen to me. This is quite
impossible. I can't dream of allowing any such thing.'

The other glared in astonishment, which tended to wrath.

'But can't you see, Mrs. Mumford, that it's for your _own_ good as
well as ours? Do you want people to be using your name--'

'What can it matter to me how _such_ people think or speak of me?'
cried Emmeline, trembling with exasperation.

'Such p