then proceeded to describe in detail the very clear-cut
features and bushy eyebrows of Carrie Waverly's father, giving also his
colouring, which was very distinctive. I suggested trying to find out
what he wanted to say to his daughter, but this distressed Mrs Peters so
much that I was sorry to have made the suggestion.

"No! no! dear Miss Bates!--don't ask me to do that--dear Henry never
likes my taking messages from strangers--I have promised him that I
would never do it without his permission. It upsets me so much, and I
feel so weak already."

So I came away, promising to look in later and see if I could do
anything for her.

Carrie was naturally greatly interested by the accurate description
given of her father, and was very impatient for me to pay Mrs Peters a
second visit.

I went in presently, and found the latter standing up, and in a state of
great excitement. She had, in fact, been on the point of coming to us
when I entered.

"Dear Henry told me to take that message after all," were the words with
which she greeted me. "There was some misunderstanding between the
father and this daughter, and he wants her to know that it is all right
now." (This seemed to me most improbable, as the devoted daughters and
father were always on terms of the greatest harmony and mutual
understanding. _Yet it proved to be quite true._)

Mrs Peters continued: "He is very much upset about this marriage. He
tells me he was so anxious for it when on this side, but now he sees all
the difficulties and possible dangers. But he says it is too late to
reconsider the step now; only he is so very anxious to secure the
interests of his daughter before she marries. He wishes to know whether
her settlement is signed. _It is not one of which he would have
approved._ And he says there are two houses, and one ought to be settled
upon her--you _must_ ask about it, dear Miss Bates. He is most decided
and so dreadfully upset about it all, because he says it was he who
urged the marriage upon her."

I spent the following fifteen or twenty minutes as a sort of
messenger-boy between Mrs Peters in the dining-room and Carrie Waverly
in my sitting-room. Needless to say, _I_ knew nothing at all about the
settlements or how many houses the prospective bridegroom might possess,
and having no sort of curiosity about the financial affairs of my
neighbours, it was not at all pleasant to be employed in this way.

Mrs Peters, on the contrary, seemed t