gone by. Fanny my dear, I want to speak to you." Then she expressed her opinion of Grace Crawley as she walked across the parsonage garden with Mrs. Robarts. "She is a very nice girl, and a very good girl, I am sure; and she shows excellent feeling. Whatever happens we must take care of her. And, Fanny, have you observed how handsome she is?"
"We think her very pretty."
"She is more than pretty when she has a little fire in her eyes. She is downright handsome,—or will be when she fills out a little. I tell you what, my dear; she'll make havoc with somebody yet; you see if she doesn't. By—by. Tell the two gentlemen to be up by seven punctually." And then Lady Lufton went home.
Grace so contrived that Mr. Oriel came and went without seeing her. There was a separate nursery breakfast at the parsonage, and by special permission Grace was allowed to have her tea and bread-and-butter on the next morning with the children. "I thought you told me Miss Crawley was here," said Mr. Oriel, as the two clergymen stood waiting for the gig that was to take the visitor away to Barchester.
"So she is," said Robarts; "but she likes to hide herself, because of her father's trouble. You can't blame her."
"No, indeed," said Mr. Oriel.
"Poor girl. If you knew her you would not only pity her, but like her."
"Is she,—what you call?"
"You mean, is she a lady?"
"Of course she is by birth, and all that," said Mr. Oriel, apologizing for his inquiry.
"I don't think there is another girl in the county so well educated," said Mr. Robarts.
"Indeed! I had no idea of that."
"And we think her a great beauty. As for manners, I never saw a girl with a prettier way of her own."
"Dear me," said Mr. Oriel. "I wish she had come down to breakfast."
It will have been perceived that old Lady Lufton had heard nothing of Major Grantly's offence; that she had no knowledge that Grace had already made havoc, as she had called it,—had, in truth, made very sad havoc, at Plumstead. She did not, therefore, think much about it when her son told her upon her return home from the parsonage on that afternoon that Major Grantly had come over from Cosby Lodge, and that he was going to dine and sleep at Framley Court. Some
