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"And I suppose they'll be married as soon as they decently can. I'm glad for Janie Iver's sake not that I like him, the little I've seen of him." "We never see him," said Mrs Trumbler. "Not at church, anyhow," added Miss S. incisively. "Perhaps he'll remember what's due to his position now." "Are you sure they're engaged?" asked Mina. Miss S. looked at her with a smile. "Certain, my dear."
Should you object?" "Oh, no," said Harry, again with the weary indifference that seemed to have fastened on him now. "I've been gossiping," she said, "with Mrs Trumbler and Miss Swinkerton." "Good Lord!" "Miss Swinkerton says your engagement to Janie will be announced directly after the funeral." "And Major Duplay says that directly it's announced !" "You don't mean to tell me anything about it?"
Mrs Trumbler felt, however, that on matters of morals she had a claim to speak jure mariti. "It is so sad!" she murmured. "And Mr Trumbler found he could do so little! He came home quite distressed." "I'm told she wasn't the least sensible of her position," observed Miss S., with what looked rather like satisfaction.
All our old ladies are talking fifteen to the dozen about Harry Tristram, and Lady Tristram, and me, and my family, and well, I dare say you're in it by now, Southend! There's an old cat named Swinkerton, who is positively beyond human endurance; she waylays me in the street. And Mrs Trumbler, the vicar's wife, comes and talks about Providence to my poor wife every day. So I fled."
There seemed no need to search for inferences. They leapt to light. Either Blent was to be shut up, or it was to receive a wedded pair. On this alternative the factions split, and the battle was furious. Mrs Trumbler definitely fought Miss S. for the first time in her life.
And the young man is just the same. But I should have liked to hear that Mr Trumbler thought it came home to her at the last." Mr Trumbler's wife shook her head gently. "Well, now we shall see, I suppose," Miss S. pursued. "The engagement is to be made public directly after the funeral." Mina almost started at this authoritative announcement.
"How?" asked Mina. Mrs Trumbler stared at her in surprised rebuke. "When I make a mistake, it will be time to ask questions," observed Miss S. with dignity. "For the present you may take what I say. I can wait to be proved right, Madame Zabriska." "I've no doubt you're right; only I thought Janie would have told me," said Mina; she had no wish to quarrel with Miss S.
"The Vicar says he's sadly afraid that the notions of the upper classes on such subjects are very lax." "Not at all," said Miss S. tartly. Really she needed no instruction from the Vicar. "And as I say, my dear, she's a girl. The ball will mark a new departure. I said so to Madame Zabriska and she quite agreed with me." Mrs Trumbler frowned pensively.
Then with unrivalled effrontery she declared that she had forgotten to call at the grocer's, and marched off. In an hour the new and complete version of the affair was all over the town. Mrs Trumbler had got first to Fairholme, but she did not wrest the laurels from Miss S.'s brow.
"I suppose they won't let him starve." "Oh, arrangements are made in such cases," nodded Miss S. "But of course nothing is said about them. For my part I shall never mention either Mr Tristram or the late Lady Tristram to her present ladyship." Mrs Trumbler was silent for a while; at last her mouth spoke the thoughts of her heart. "I suppose she'll be thinking of marrying soon.
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