eans you, Kate," said Mrs Greenow.

"No, it doesn't; it doesn't mean me at all. At any rate he won't see
me."

"I dare say it's me he wishes to see. It seems to be the fashionable
plan now for gentlemen to make offers by deputy. If he says anything,
I can only refer him to you, you know."

"Yes, you can; you can tell him simply that I won't have him. But he
is no more thinking of me than--"

"Than he is of me, you were going to say."

"No, aunt; I wasn't going to say that at all."

"Well, we shall see. If he does mean anything, of course you can
please yourself; but I really think you might do worse."

"But if I don't want to do at all?"

"Very well; you must have your own way. I can only tell you what I
think."

At half past three o'clock punctually Mr Cheesacre came to the door,
and was shown up-stairs. He was told by Jeannette that Captain
Bellfield had looked in on the Sunday afternoon, but that Miss
Fairstairs and Miss Vavasor had been there the whole time. He had
not got on his black boots nor yet had his round topped hat. And as
he did wear a new frock coat, and had his left hand thrust into a
kid glove, Jeannette was quite sure that he intended business of
some kind. With new boots, creaking loudly, he walked up into the
drawing-room, and there he found the widow alone.

"Thanks for the flowers," she said at once. "It was so good of you to
bring something that we could accept."

"As for that," said he, "I don't see why you should scruple about a
trifle of cream, but I hope that any such feeling as that will be
over before long." To this the widow made no answer, but she looked
very sweetly on him as she bade him sit down.

He did sit down; but first he put his hat and stick carefully away in
one corner, and then he pulled off his glove--somewhat laboriously,
for his hand was warm. He was clearly prepared for great things. As
he pushed up his hair with his hands there came from his locks an
ambrosial perfume,--as of marrow-oil, and there was a fixed propriety
of position of every hair of his whiskers, which indicated very
plainly that he had been at a hairdresser's shop since he left the
market. Nor do I believe that he had worn that coat when he came to
the door earlier in the morning. If I were to say that he had called
at his tailor's also, I do not think that I should be wrong.

"How goes everything at Oileymead?" said Mrs Greenow, seeing that her
guest wanted some little assistance in leadin