glect anything touching the
Small House. So Hopkins stood on the terrace, raising his hat and
scratching his head. "There's something wrong amongst them," said he
to himself, sorrowfully.

But when the squire had walked to the end of the terrace and had
turned upon the path which led round the side of the house, he
stopped and called to Hopkins.

"Have what is needful done to the flue," he said.

"Yes, sir; very well, sir. It'll only be re-setting the bricks.
Nothing more ain't needful, just this winter."

"Have the place put in perfect order while you're about it," said the
squire, and then he walked away.

CHAPTER XXXIX

Doctor Crofts Is Turned Out

"Have you heard the news, my dear, from the Small House?" said Mrs
Boyce to her husband, some two or three days after Mrs Dale's visit
to the squire. It was one o'clock, and the parish pastor had come in
from his ministrations to dine with his wife and children.

"What news?" said Mr Boyce, for he had heard none.

"Mrs Dale and the girls are going to leave the Small House; they're
going into Guestwick to live."

"Mrs Dale going away; nonsense!" said the vicar. "What on earth
should take her into Guestwick? She doesn't pay a shilling of rent
where she is."

"I can assure you it's true, my dear. I was with Mrs Hearn just now,
and she had it direct from Mrs Dale's own lips. Mrs Hearn said she'd
never been taken so much aback in her whole life. There's been some
quarrel, you may be sure of that."

Mr Boyce sat silent, pulling off his dirty shoes preparatory to his
dinner. Tidings so important, as touching the social life of his
parish, had not come to him for many a day, and he could hardly bring
himself to credit them at so short a notice.

"Mrs Hearn says that Mrs Dale spoke ever so firmly about it, as
though determined that nothing should change her."

"And did she say why?"

"Well, not exactly. But Mrs Hearn said she could understand there had
been words between her and the squire. It couldn't be anything else,
you know. Probably it had something to do with that man, Crosbie."

"They'll be very pushed about money," said Mr Boyce, thrusting his
feet into his slippers.

"That's just what I said to Mrs Hearn. And those girls have never
been used to anything like real economy. What's to become of them I
don't know;" and Mrs Boyce, as she expressed her sympathy for her
dear friends, received considerable comfort from the prospect of
their future