zled good old Anna, and to her mind had been a woeful
lack in the girl.

So she had welcomed, with great sympathy, the
sudden and surprising change. Anna shrewdly suspected
the truth, namely, that Rose was Jervis Blake's
secret betrothed. She felt sure that something had
happened on the morning young Mr. Blake had gone
away, during the long half-hour the two young people
had spent together. On that morning, immediately
after her return home, Rose had gone up to her room,
declaring that she had had breakfast -- though she,
Anna, knew well that the child had only had an early
cup of tea....

But if Anna sympathised with and understood the
feelings of the younger of her two ladies, she had
but scant toleration for Mrs. Otway's restless, ill-concealed
unhappiness. Even in the old days Anna had
disapproved of Major Guthrie, and she had thought
it very strange indeed that he came so often to the
Trellis House. To her mind such conduct was unfitting.
What on earth could a middle-aged man have
to say to the mother of a grown-up daughter?

Of course Anna knew that marriages between such
people are sometimes arranged; but to her mind they
are always marriages of convenience, and in this case
such a marriage would be very inconvenient to everybody,
and would thoroughly upset all her, Anna's,
pleasant, easy way of life. A widower with children
has naturally to find a woman to look after his house;
and a poor widow is as a rule only too pleased to
meet with some one who will marry her, especially
if the some one be better off than herself. But on

[[203]]

p202 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p203w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p204

v?