Cynthiawasalwayswillingtoanswerquestionsaboutherpreviouslife，though，afterthefirst，sherarelyalludedtoitofherself；butshewasamostsympatheticlistenertoallMolly’sinnocentconfidencesofjoysandsorrows；sympathizingeventotheextentofwonderinghowshecouldendureMrGibson’ssecondmarriage，andwhyshedidnottakesomeactivestepsofrebellion。Inspiteofallthisagreeableandpungentvarietyofcompanionshipathome，MollyyearnedaftertheHamleys。Iftherehadbeenawomaninthatfamilyshewouldprobablyhavereceivedmanylittlenotes，andheardofnumerousdetailswhichwerenowlosttoher，orsummedupincondensedaccountsofherfather’svisitsattheHall，which，sincehisdearpatientwasdead，wereonlyoccasional。’Yes！Thesquireisagooddealchanged；buthe’sbetterthanhewas。There’sanunspokenestrangementbetweenhimandOsborne；onecanseeitinthesilenceandconstraintoftheirmanners；butoutwardlytheyarefriendly—civilatanyrate。ThesquirewillalwaysrespectOsborneashisheir，andthefuturerepresentativeofthefamily。Osbornedoesn’tlookwell；
　　hesayshewantschange。Ithinkhe’swearyofthedomestictê；te—à；—tê；te，ordomesticdissension。Buthefeelshismother’sdeathacutely。It’sawonderthatheandhisfatherarenotdrawntogetherbytheircommonloss。
　　Roger’sawayatCambridgetoo—examinationforthemathematicaltripos。
　　Altogethertheaspectofbothpeopleandplaceischanged；itisbutnatural！’Suchisperhapsthesumming—upofthenewsoftheHamleys，ascontainedinmanybulletins。TheyalwaysendedinsomekindmessagetoMolly。MrsGibsongenerallysaid，asacommentuponherhusband’saccountofOsborne’smelancholy，—’Mydear！whydon’tyouaskhimtodinnerhere？Alittlequietdinner，youknow。Cookisquiteuptoit；andwewouldallofuswearblacksandlilacs；’hecouldn’tconsiderthatasgaiety。’MrGibsontooknomorenoticeofthesesuggestionsthanbyshakinghishead。Hehadgrownaccustomedtohiswifebythistime，andregardedsilenceonhisownpartasagreatpreservativeagainstlonginconsequentialarguments。
　　ButeverytimethatMrsGibsonwasstruckbyCynthia’sbeauty，shethoughtitmoreandmoreadvisablethatMrOsborneHamleyshouldbecheeredupbyaquietlittledinner—party。AsyetnoonebuttheladiesofHollingfordandMrAshton，thevicar—thathopelessandimpracticableoldbachelor—hadseenCynthia；andwhatwasthegoodofhavingalovelydaughter，iftherewerenonebutoldwomentoadmireher？Cynthiaherselfappearedextremelyindifferentuponthesubject，andtookverylittlenoticeofhermother’sconstanttalkaboutthegaietiesthatwerepossible，andthegaietiesthatwereimpossible，inHollingford。SheexertedherselfjustasmuchtocharmthetwoMissBrowningsasshewouldhavedonetodelightOsborneHamley，oranyotheryoungheir。Thatistosay，sheusednoexertion，butsimplyfollowedherownnature，whichwastoattracteveryoneofthoseshewasthrownamongst。Theexertionseemedrathertobetorefrainfromdoingso，andtoprotest，asshesooftendid，byslightwordsandexpressivelooksagainsthermother’swordsandhumours—alikeagainstherfollyandhercaresses。MollywasalmostsorryforMrsGibson，whoseemedsounabletogaininfluenceoverherchild。
　　OnedayCynthiareadMolly’sthought。’Iamnotgood，andItoldyouso。SomehowIcannotforgiveherforherneglectofmeasachild，whenIwouldhaveclungtoher。Besides，IhardlyeverheardfromherwhenIwasatschool。AndIknowsheputastoptomycomingovertoherwedding。IsawthelettershewrotetoMadameLefevre。
　　Achildshouldbebroughtupwithitsparents，ifitistothinktheminfalliblewhenitgrowsup。’’Butthoughitmayknowthattheremustbefaults，’repliedMolly，’itoughttocoverthemoverandtrytoforgettheirexistence。’’Itought。Butdon’tyouseeIhavegrownupoutsidethepaleofdutyand"oughts。"Lovemeasram，sweetone，forIshallneverbebetter。’
　　chapter20CHAPTERXXMRSGIBSON’SVISITORSOneday，toMolly’sinfinitesurprise，MrPrestonwasannouncedasacaller。
　　MrsGibsonandsheweresittingtogetherinthedrawing—room；Cynthiawasout—goneintothetowna—shopping—whenthedoorwasopened，thenamegiven，andinwalkedtheyoungman。HisentranceseemedtocausemoreconfusionthanMollycouldwellaccountfor。HecameinwiththesameairofeasyassurancewithwhichhehadreceivedthematAshcombeManor—house。Helookedremarkablyhandsomeinhisriding—dress，andwiththeopen—airexercisehehadjusthad。ButMrsGibson’ssmoothbrowscontractedalittleatthesightofhim，andherreceptionofhimwasmuchcoolerthanthatwhichsheusuallygavetovisitors。Yettherewasadegreeofagitationinit，whichsurprisedMollyalittle。MrsGibsonwasathereverlastingworsted—workframewhenMrPrestonenteredtheroom；butsomehowinrisingtoreceivehim，shethrewdownherbasketofcrewels，and，decliningMolly’soffertohelpher，shewouldpickupallthereelsherself，beforesheaskedhervisitortositdown。Hestoodthere，hatinhand，affectinganinterestintherecoveryoftheworstedwhichMollywassurehedidnotfeel；forallthetimehiseyeswereglancingroundtheroom，andtakingnoteofthedetailsinthearrangement。Atlengththeywereseated，andconversationbegan。’ItisthefirsttimeIhavebeeninHollingfordsinceyourmarriage，MrsGibson，orIshouldcertainlyhavecalledtopaymyrespectssooner。’’IknowyouareverybusyatAshcombe。Ididnotexpectyoutocall。IsLordCumnorattheTowers？Ihavenotheardfromherladyshipformorethanaweek！’’No！heseemedstilldetainedatBath。ButIhadaletterfromhimgivingmecertainmessagesforMrSheepshanks。MrGibsonisnotathome，I’mafraid？’’No。Heisagreatdealout—almostconstantly，Imaysay。IhadnoideathatIshouldseesolittleofhim。Adoctor’swifeleadsaverysolitarylife，MrPreston！’’Youcanhardlycallitsolitary，Ishouldthink，whenyouhavesuchacompanionasMissGibsonalwaysathand，’saidhe，bowingtoMolly。’Oh，butIcallitsolitudeforawifewhenherhusbandisaway。PoorMrKirkpatrickwasneverhappyunlessIalwayswentwithhim，—allhiswalks，allhisvisits，helikedmetobewithhim。ButsomehowMrGibsonfeelsasifIshouldberatherinhisway。’’Idon’tthinkyoucouldridepillionbehindhimonBlackBess，mamma，’
　　saidMolly。’Andunlessyoucouldgointhatwayyoucouldhardlygowithhiminhisroundsupanddownalltheroughlanes。’’Oh！buthemightkeepabrougham！I’veoftensaidso。AndthenIcoulduseitforvisitingintheevenings。ReallyitwasonereasonwhyIdidn’tgototheHollingfordCharityBall。Icouldn’tbringmyselftousethedirtyflyfromthe"George。"Wereallymuststirpapaupagainstnextwinter，Molly；itwillneverdoforyouand——’Shepulledherselfupsuddenly，andlookedfurtivelyatMrPrestontoseeifhehadtakenanynoticeofherabruptness。Ofcoursehehad，buthewasnotgoingtoshowit。HeturnedtoMolly，andsaid，—’Haveyoueverbeentoapublicballyet，MissGibson？’’No！’saidMolly。’Itwillbeagreatpleasuretoyouwhenthetimecomes。’’I’mnotsure。IshalllikeitifIhaveplentyofpartners；butI’mafraidIshan’tknowmanypeople。’’Andyousupposethatyoungmenhaven’ttheirownwaysandmeansofbeingintroducedtoprettygirls？’ItwasexactlyoneofthespeechesMollyhaddislikedhimforbefore；anddelivered，too，inthatkindofunderbredmannerwhichshowedthatitwasmeanttoconveyapersonalcompliment。Mollytookgreatcredittoherselffortheunconcernedmannerwithwhichshewentonwithhertattingexactlyasifshehadneverheardit。’IonlyhopeImaybeoneofyourpartnersatthefirstballyougoto。
　　Pray，remembermyearlyapplicationforthathonour，whenyouareoverwhelmedwithrequestsfordances。’’Idon’tchoosetoengagemyselfbeforehand，’saidMolly，perceiving，fromunderherdroppedeyelids，thathewasleaningforwardsandlookingatherasthoughhewasdeterminedtohaveananswer。’Youngladiesarealwaysverycautiousinfact，howevermodesttheymaybeinprofession，’hereplied，addressinghimselfinanonchalantmannertoMrsGibson。’InspiteofMissGibson’sapprehensionofnothavingmanypartnersshedeclinesthecertaintyofhavingone。IsupposeMissKirkpatrickwillhavereturnedfromFrancebeforethen？’Hesaidtheselastwordsexactlyinthesametoneashehadusedbefore；
　　butMolly’sinstincttoldherthathewasmakinganefforttodoso。Shelookedup。Hewasplayingwithhishat，almostasifhedidnotcaretohaveanyanswertohisquestion。Yethewaslisteningacutely，andwithahalfsmileonhisface。MrsGibsonreddenedalittle，andhesitated，—’Yes；certainly。Mydaughterwillbewithusnextwinter，Ibelieve；andIdaresayshewillgooutwithus。’’Whycan’tshesayatoncethatCynthiaisherenow？’askedMollytoherself，yetgladthatMrPreston’scuriositywasbaffled。Hestillsmiled；butthistimehelookedupatMrsGibson，asheasked，—’Youhavegoodnewsfromher，Ihope？’’Yes；very。Bytheway，howareouroldfriendstheRobinsons？HowoftenIthinkoftheirkindnesstomeatAshcombe！Deargoodpeople，IwishI
　　couldseethemagain。’’Iwillcertainlytellthemofyourkindinquiries。Theyareverywell，Ibelieve。’Justatthismoment，Mollyheardthefamiliarsoundoftheclickandopeningofthefrontdoor。SheknewitmustbeCynthia；and，consciousofsomemysteriousreasonwhichmadeMrsGibsonwishtoconcealherdaughter’swhereaboutsfromMrPreston，andmaliciouslydesiroustobafflehim，sherosetoleavetheroom，andmeetCynthiaonthestairs；butoneofthelostcrewelsofworstedhadentangleditselfinhergownandfeet，andbeforeshehadfreedherselfoftheencumbrance，Cynthiahadopenedthedrawing—roomdoor，andstoodinit，lookingathermother，atMolly，atMrPreston，butnotadvancingonestep。Hercolour，whichhadbeenbrilliantthefirstmomentofherentrance，fadedawayasshegazed；buthereyes—herbeautifuleyes—usuallysosoftandgrave，seemedtofillwithfire，andherbrowstocontract，asshetooktheresolutiontocomeforwardsandtakeherplaceamongthethree，whowerealllookingatherwithdifferentemotions。Shemovedcalmlyandslowlyforwards；MrPrestonwentasteportwotomeether，hishandheldout，andthewholeexpressionofhisfacethatofeagerdelight。Butshetooknonoticeoftheoutstretchedhand，norofthechairthatheofferedher。Shesatedownonalittlesofainoneofthewindows，andcalledMollytoher。’Lookatmypurchases，’saidshe。’Thisgreenribbonwasfourteen—penceayard，thissilkthreeshillings，’andsoshewenton，forcingherselftospeakaboutthesetriflesasiftheywerealltheworldtoher，andshehadnoattentiontothrowawayonhermotherandhermother’svisitor。MrPrestontookhiscuefromher。He，too，talkedofthenewsoftheday，thelocalgossip—butMolly，whoglancedupathimfromtimetotime，wasalmostalarmedbythebadexpressionofsuppressedanger，almostamountingtovindictiveness，whichentirelymarredhishandsomelooks。Shedidnotwishtolookagain；andtriedrathertobackupCynthia’seffortsatmaintainingaseparateconversation。YetshecouldnothelpoverhearingMrsGibson’sstrainafterincreasedcivility，asiftomakeupforCynthia’srudeness，and，ifpossible，todeprecatehisanger。Shetalkedperpetually，asthoughherobjectweretodetainhim；whereasprevioustoCynthia’sreturnshehadallowedfrequentpausesintheconversation，asthoughtogivehimtheopportunitytotakehisleave。InthecourseoftheconversationbetweenthemtheHamleyscameup。MrsGibsonwasneverunwillingtodwelluponMolly’sintimacywiththiscountyfamily；andwhenthelattercaughtthesoundofherownname，herstepmotherwassaying，—’PoorMrsHamleycouldhardlydowithoutMolly；shequitelookeduponherasadaughter，especiallytowardsthelast，when，Iamafraid，shehadagooddealofanxiety。MrOsborneHamley—Idaresayyouhaveheard—
　　hedidnotdosowellatcollege，andtheyhadexpectedsomuch—parentswill，youknow；butwhatdiditsignify？forhehadnottoearnhisliving！
　　Icallitaveryfoolishkindofambitionwhenayoungmanhasnottogointoaprofession。’’Well，atanyrate，thesquiremustbesatisfiednow。Isawthismorning’sTimes，withtheCambridgeexaminationlistsinit。Isn’tthesecondsoncalledafterhisfather，Roger？’’Yes，’saidMolly，startingup，andcomingnearer。’He’sseniorwrangler，that’sall，’saidMrPreston，almostasthoughhewerevexedwithhimselfforhavinganythingtosaythatcouldgiveherpleasure。MollywentbacktoherseatbyCynthia。’PoorMrsHamley，’saidsheverysoftly，asiftoherself。Cynthiatookherhand，insympathywithMolly’ssadandtenderlook，ratherthanbecausesheunderstoodallthatwaspassinginhermind，nordidshequiteunderstanditherself。Adeaththathadcomeoutoftime；awonderifthedeadknewwhatpassedupontheearththeyhadleft—thebrilliantOsborne’sfailure，Roger’ssuccess；thevanityofhumanwishes；allthesethoughts，andwhattheysuggested，wereinextricablymingledupinhermind。Shecametoherselfinafewminutes。MrPrestonwassayingalltheunpleasantthingshecouldthinkofabouttheHamleysinatoneoffalsesympathy。’Thepooroldsquire—notthewisestofmen—haswoefullymismanagedhisestate。AndOsborneHamleyistoofineagentlemantounderstandthemeansbywhichtoimprovethevalueoftheland—evenifhehadthecapital。
　　Amanwhohadpracticalknowledgeofagriculture，andsomethousandsofreadymoney，mightbringtherentaluptoeightthousandorso。Ofcourse，Osbornewilltryandmarrysomeonewithmoney；thefamilyisoldandwell—established，andhemustn’tobjecttocommercialdescent，thoughIdaresaythesquirewillforhim；butthentheyoungfellowhimselfisnotthemanforthework。No！thefamily’sgoingdownfast；andit’spitywhentheseoldSaxonhousesvanishofftheland；butitis"kismet"withtheHamleys。Eventheseniorwrangler—ifitisthatRogerHamley—hewillhavespentallhisbrainsinoneeffort。Youneverhearofaseniorwranglerbeingworthanythingafterwards。He’llbeaFellowofhiscollege，ofcourse—thatwillbealivelihoodforhimatanyrate。’’Ibelieveinseniorwranglers，’saidCynthia，herclearhighvoiceringingthroughtheroom。’AndfromallI’veheardofMrRogerHamley，Ibelievehewillkeepupthedistinctionhehasearned。AndIdon’tbelievethatthehouseofHamleyissonearextinctioninwealthandfame，andgoodname。’’TheyarefortunateinhavingMissKirkpatrick’sgoodword，’saidMrPreston，risingtotakehisleave。’DearMolly，’saidCynthia，inawhisper，’IknownothingaboutyourfriendstheHamleys，exceptthattheyareyourfriends，andwhatyouhavetoldmeaboutthem。ButIwon’thavethatmanspeakingofthemso—andyoureyesfillingwithtearsallthetime。I’dsoonersweartotheirhavingallthetalentsandgoodfortuneunderthesun。’TheonlypersonofwhomCynthiaappearedtobewholesomelyafraidwasMrGibson。Whenhewaspresentshewasmorecarefulinspeaking，andshowedmoredeferencetohermother。HerevidentrespectforMrGibson，anddesireforhisgoodopinion，madehercurbherselfbeforehim；andinthismannersheearnedhisgoodfavourasalively，sensiblegirl，withjustsomuchknowledgeoftheworldasmadeheraverydesirablecompaniontoMolly。
　　Indeed，shemadesomethingofthesamekindofimpressiononallmen。Theywerefirststruckwithherpersonalappearance；andthenwithherprettydeprecatingmanner，whichappealedtothemmuchasifshehadsaid，’Youarewise，andIamfoolish—havemercyonmyfolly。’Itwasawayshehad；itmeantnothingreally；andshewashardlyconsciousofitherself；
　　butitwasverycaptivatingallthesame。EvenoldWilliams，thegardener，feltit；hesaidtohisconfidante，Molly，—’Eh，miss，butthatbearareyounglady！Shedohavesuchprettycoaxingways。Ibetoteachhertobudrosescometheseason—andI’llwarrantyeshe’lllearntobesharpenough，forallshesaysshebeessostupid。’IfMollyhadnothadthesweetestdispositionintheworldshemighthavebecomejealousofalltheallegiancelaidatCynthia’sfeet；butsheneverthoughtofcomparingtheamountofadmirationandlovewhichtheyeachreceived。YetonceshedidfeelalittleasifCynthiawerepoachingonhermanor。TheinvitationtothequietdinnerhadbeensenttoOsborneHamley，anddeclinedbyhim。Buthethoughtitrighttocallsoonafterwards。
　　ItwasthefirsttimeMollyhadseenanyofthefamilysinceshelefttheHall，sinceMrsHamley’sdeath；andtherewassomuchthatshewantedtoask。ShetriedtowaitpatientlytillMrsGibsonhadexhaustedthefirstgushofherinfinitenothings；andthenMollycameinwithhermodestquestions。
　　Howwasthesquire？Hadhereturnedtohisoldhabits？Hadhishealthsuffered？
　　—puttingeachinquirywithaslightanddelicateatouchasifshehadbeendressingawound。Shehesitatedalittle，averylittle，beforespeakingofRoger；forjustonemomentthethoughtflittedacrosshermindthatOsbornemightfeelthecontrastbetweenhisownandhisbrother’scollegecareertoopainfullytoliketohaveitreferredto；butthensherememberedthegenerousbrotherlylovethathadalwaysexistedbetweenthetwo，andhadjustentereduponthesubject，whenCynthia，inobediencetohermother’ssummons，cameintotheroom，andtookupherwork。Noonecouldhavebeenquieter—shehardlyutteredaword；butOsborneseemedtofallunderherpoweratonce。HenolongergavehisundividedattentiontoMolly。Hecutshorthisanswerstoherquestions；andby—and—by，withoutMolly’srightlyunderstandinghowitwas，hehadturnedtowardsCynthia，andwasaddressinghimselftoher。MollysawthelookofcontentonMrsGibson’sface；perhapsitwasherownmortificationatnothavingheardallshewishedtoknowaboutRoger，thatgaveherakeenerinsightthanusual，butcertainitisthatallatoncesheperceivedthatMrsGibsonwouldnotdislikeamarriagebetweenOsborneandCynthia，andconsideredthepresentoccasionasanauspiciousbeginning。Rememberingthesecretwhichshehadbeenletintosounwillingly，Mollywatchedhisbehaviour，almostasifshehadbeenretainedintheinterestsoftheabsentwife；but，afterall，thinkingasmuchofthepossibilityofhisattractingCynthiaasoftheunknownandmysteriousMrsOsborneHamley。Hismannerwasexpressiveofgreatinterestandofstrongprepossessioninfavourofthebeautifulgirltowhomhewastalking。Hewasindeepmourning，whichshowedoffhisslightfigureanddelicaterefinedface。Buttherewasnothingofflirting，asfarasMollyunderstoodthemeaningoftheword，ineitherlooksorwords。Cynthia，too，wasextremelyquiet；shewasalwaysmuchquieterwithmenthanwithwomen；itwaspartofthecharmofhersoftallurementthatshewassopassive。TheyweretalkingofFrance。MrsGibsonherselfhadpassedtwoorthreeyearsofhergirlhoodthere；andCynthia’slatereturnfromBoulognemadeitaverynaturalsubjectofconversation。ButMollywasthrownoutofit；andwithherheartstillunsatisfiedastothedetailsofRoger’ssuccess，shehadtostandupatlast，andreceiveOsborne’sgood—by，scarcelylongerormoreintimatethanhisfarewelltoCynthia。AssoonashewasgoneMrsGibsonbeganinhispraise。’Well，really，Ibegintohavesomefaithinlongdescent。Whatagentlemanheis！Howagreeableandpolite！SodifferentfromthatforwardMrPreston，’
　　shecontinued，lookingalittleanxiouslyatCynthia。Cynthia，quiteawarethatherreplywasbeingwatchedfor，said，coolly，—’MrPrestondoesn’timproveonacquaintance。Therewasatime，mamma，whenIthinkbothyouandIthoughthimveryagreeable。’’Idon’tremember。You’veaclearermemorythanIhave。ButweweretalkingofthisdelightfulMrOsborneHamley。Why，Molly，youwerealwaystalkingofhisbrother—itwasRogerthis，andRogerthat—Ican’tthinkhowitwasyousoseldommentionedthisyoungman。’’IdidnotknowIhadmentionedMrRogerHamleysooften，’saidMolly，blushingalittle。’ButIsawmuchmoreofhim—hewasmoreathome。’’Well，well！It’sallright，mydear。Idaresayhesuitsyoubest。Butreally，whenIsawOsborneHamleyclosetomyCynthia，Icouldn’thelpthinking—butperhapsI’dbetternottellyouwhatIwasthinkingof。
　　Onlytheyareeachofthemsomuchabovetheaverageinappearance；and，ofcourse，thatsuggeststhings。’’Iperfectlyunderstandwhatyouwerethinkingof，mamma，’saidCynthia，withthegreatestcomposure；’andsodoesMolly，Ihavenodoubt。’’Well！there’snoharminit，I’msure。Didyouhearhimsaythat，thoughhedidnotliketoleavehisfatheralonejustatpresent，yetthatwhenhisbrotherRogercamebackfromCambridge，heshouldfeelmoreatliberty？
　　Itwasquiteasmuchtosay，"Ifyouwillaskmetodinnerthen，Ishallbedelightedtocome。"Andchickenswillbesomuchcheaper，andcookhassuchanicewayofboningthem，anddoingthemupwithforcemeat。Everythingseemstobefallingoutsofortunately。AndMolly，mydear，youknowI
　　won’tforgetyou。By—and—by，whenRogerHamleyhastakenhisturnatstoppingathomewithhisfather，wewillaskhimtooneofourlittlequietdinners。’Mollywasveryslowattakingthisin；butinaboutaminutethesenseofithadreachedherbrain，andshewentalloververyredandhot；especiallyasshesawthatCynthiawaswatchingthelightcomeintohermindwithgreatamusement。’I’mafraidMollyisn’tproperlygrateful，mamma。IfIwereyou，Iwouldn’texertmyselftogiveadinner—partyonheraccount。Bestowallyourkindnessuponme。’MollywasoftenpuzzledbyCynthia’sspeechestohermother；andthiswasoneoftheseoccasions。Butshewasmoreanxioustosaysomethingforherself；
　　shewassomuchannoyedattheimplicationinMrsGibson’slastwords。’MrRogerHamleyhasbeenverygoodtome；hewasagreatdealathomewhenIwasthere，andMrOsborneHamleywasverylittlethere：thatwasthereasonIspokesomuchmoreofonethantheother。IfIhad—ifhehad，’—losinghercoherenceinthedifficultyoffindingwords，—’Idon’tthinkIshould。Oh，Cynthia，insteadoflaughingatme，Ithinkyoumighthelpmetoexplainmyself！’Instead，Cynthiagaveadiversiontotheconversation。’Mamma’sparagongivesmeanideaofweakness。Ican’tquitemakeoutwhetheritisinbodyormind。Whichisit，Molly？’’Heisnotstrong，Iknow；butheisveryaccomplishedandclever。Everyonesaysthat，—evenpapa，whodoesn’tgenerallypraiseyoungmen。Thatmadethepuzzlethegreaterwhenhedidsobadlyatcollege。’’Thenit’shischaracterthatisweak。I’msurethere’sweaknesssomewhere；
　　buthe’sveryagreeable。Itmusthavebeenverypleasant，stayingattheHall。’’Yes；butit’sallovernow。’’Oh，nonsense！’saidMrsGibson，wakeningupfromcountingthestitchesinherpattern。’Weshallhavetheyoungmencomingtodinnerprettyoften，you’llsee。Yourfatherlikesthem，andIshallalwaysmakeapointofwelcominghisfriends。Theycan’tgoonmourningforamotherforever。
　　Iexpectweshallseeagreatdealofthem；andthatthetwofamilieswillbecomeveryintimate。Afterall，thesegoodHollingfordpeopleareterriblybehindhand，andIshouldsay，rathercommonplace。’
　　EndofPartTwochapter21CHAPTERXXITHEHALF—SISTERSItappearedasifMrsGibson’spredictionswerelikelytobeverified；
　　forOsborneHamleyfoundhiswaytoherdrawing—roomprettyfrequently。
　　Tobesure，sometimesprophetscanhelponthefulfilmentoftheirownprophecies；andMrsGibsonwasnotpassive。Mollywasaltogetherpuzzledbyhismannersandways。HespokeofoccasionalabsencesfromtheHall，withoutexactlysayingwherehehadbeen。Butthatwasnotherideaoftheconductofamarriedman，who，sheimagined，oughttohaveahouseandservants，andpayrentandtaxes，andlivewithhiswife。Whothismysteriouswifemightbe，fadedintoinsignificancebeforethewonderofwhereshewas。London，Cambridge，Dover，nayevenFrance，werementionedbyhimasplacestowhichhehadbeenonthesedifferentlittlejourneys。Thesefactscameoutquitecasually，almostasifhewasunawareofwhathewasbetraying；sometimeshedroppedoutsuchsentencesasthese：—’Ah，thatwouldbethedayIwascrossing！Itwasstormy，indeed！
　　Insteadofourbeingonlytwohours，wewerenearlyfive。’Or，’ImetLordHollingfordatDoverlastweek，andhesaid，’&；c。’ThecoldnowisnothingtowhatitwasinLondononThursday—thethermometerwasdownat15*。’Perhaps，intherapidflowofconversation，thesesmallrevelationswerenoticedbynoonebutMolly；whoseinterestandcuriositywerealwayshoveringoverthesecretshehadbecomepossessedof，inspiteofallherself—reproachforallowingherthoughtstodwellonwhatwasstilltobekeptasamystery。ItwasalsoevidenttoherthatOsbornewasnottoohappyathome。Hehadlosttheslighttouchofcynicismwhichhehadaffectedwhenhewasexpectedtodowondersatcollege；andthatwasonegoodresultofhisfailure。
　　Ifhedidnotgivehimselfthetroubleofappreciatingotherpeople，andtheirperformances，atanyratehisconversationwasnotsoamplysprinkledwithcriticalpepper。Hewasmoreabsent，notsoagreeable，MrsGibsonthought，butdidnotsay。Helookedillinhealth；butthatmightbetheconsequenceoftherealdepressionofspiritswhichMollyoccasionallysawpeepingoutthroughallhispleasantsurface—talk。Nowandthen，hereferredto’thehappydaysthataregone，’or，’tothetimewhenmymotherwasalive，’whentalkingdirectlytoher；andthenhisvoicesank，andagloomcameoverhiscountenance，andMollylongedtoexpressherowndeepsympathy。Hedidnotoftenmentionhisfather；andMollythoughtshecouldreadinhismanner，whenhedid，thatsomethingofthepainfulrestraintshehadnoticedwhenshewaslastattheHallstillexistedbetweenthem。