 had a touch of
rheumatism) to our rooms, to change cap and collars, when Miss Pole arrested us
by calling out, as she came up the stairs, »Don't go - I can't wait - it is not
twelve, I know - but never mind your dress - I must speak to you.« We did our
best to look as if it was not we who had made the hurried movement, the sound of
which she had heard; for, of course, we did not like to have it supposed that we
had any old clothes that it was convenient to wear out in the sanctuary of home,
as Miss Jenkyns once prettily called the back parlour, where she was tying up
preserves. So we threw our gentility with double force into our manners, and
very genteel we were for two minutes while Miss Pole recovered breath, and
excited our curiosity strongly by lifting up her hands in amazement, and
bringing them down in silence, as if what she had to say was too big for words,
and could only be expressed by pantomime.
    »What do you think, Miss Matty? What do you think? Lady Glenmire is to marry
- is to be married, I mean - Lady Glenmire - Mr. Hoggins - Mr. Hoggins is going
to marry Lady Glenmire!«
    »Marry!« said we. »Marry! Madness!«
    »Marry!« said Miss Pole, with the decision that belonged to her character. »
I said, Marry! as you do; and I also said, What a fool my lady is going to make
of herself! I could have said Madness! but I controlled myself, for it was in a
public shop that I heard of it. Where feminine delicacy is gone to, I don't
know! You and I, Miss Matty, would have been ashamed to have known that our
marriage was spoken of in a grocer's shop, in the hearing of shopmen!«
    »But,« said Miss Matty, sighing as one recovering from a blow, »perhaps it
is not true. Perhaps we are doing her injustice.«
    »No,« said Miss Pole. »I have taken care to ascertain that. I went straight
to Mrs. Fitz-Adam, to borrow a cookery-book which I knew she had; and I
introduced my congratulations à propos of the difficulty gentlemen must have in
housekeeping; and Mrs. Fitz-Adam bridled up, and said that she believed it was
true, though how and where I could have heard it she did not know.
