little pained, by the old lady's confidence. That what
she had just been told might not be true did not occur
to her. What more natural than that Major Guthrie
should like a nice girl -- one, too, who was, it seemed,
half Scotch? The Trepells were probably in London
even now -- she had seen it mentioned in a paper that
every one was still staying on in town. If so, Major
Guthrie was doubtless constantly in their company;
and the letter she had so -- well, not exactly longed for,
but certainly expected, might even now be lying on the
table in the hall of the Trellis House, informing her of
his engagement!

She remembered now what she had heard of the
Trepells. It concerned the great, the almost limitless,
wealth brought in by their wonderful polish. She
found it difficult to think of Major Guthrie as a very
rich man. Of course, he would always remain, what
he was now, a quiet, unassuming gentleman; but all
the same, she, Mary Otway, did feel that somehow this
piece of news made it impossible for her to accept the
loan he had so kindly and so delicately forced on her.

Mrs. Otway had a lively, a too lively, imagination,
and it seemed to her as if it was Miss Trepell's money
which lay in the envelope now locked away in her writing-table
drawer. Indeed, had she known exactly where
Major Guthrie was just now, she would have returned
it to him. But supposing he had already started for
France, and the registered letter came back and was
opened by his mother -- how dreadful that would be!

When she reached home, and walked through into
her cool, quiet house, Mrs. Otway was quite surprised
to find that there was no letter from Major Guthrie
lying for her on the hall table.

[[162]]

p161 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p162w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p163

v?