Mr. Godfrey followed the announcement of his name--as Mr. Godfrey does

everything else--exactly at the right time. He was not so close on the

servant's heels as to startle us. He was not so far behind as to cause

us the double inconvenience of a pause and an open door. It is in the

completeness of his daily life that the true Christian appears. This

dear man was very complete.

"Go to Miss Verinder," said my aunt, addressing the servant, "and tell

her Mr. Ablewhite is here."

We both inquired after his health. We both asked him together whether he

felt like himself again, after his terrible adventure of the past week.

With perfect tact, he contrived to answer us at the same moment. Lady

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Verinder had his reply in words. I had his charming smile.

"What," he cried, with infinite tenderness, "have I done to deserve

all this sympathy? My dear aunt! my dear Miss Clack! I have merely been

mistaken for somebody else. I have only been blindfolded; I have only

been strangled; I have only been thrown flat on my back, on a very thin

carpet, covering a particularly hard floor. Just think how much worse it

might have been! I might have been murdered; I might have been robbed.

What have I lost? Nothing but Nervous Force--which the law doesn't

recognise as property; so that, strictly speaking, I have lost nothing

at all. If I could have had my own way, I would have kept my adventure

to myself--I shrink from all this fuss and publicity. But Mr. Luker made

HIS injuries public, and my injuries, as the necessary consequence,

have been proclaimed in their turn. I have become the property of the

newspapers, until the gentle reader gets sick of the subject. I am very

sick indeed of it myself. May the gentle reader soon be like me! And how

is dear Rachel? Still enjoying the gaieties of London? So glad to hear

it! Miss Clack, I need all your indulgence. I am sadly behind-hand with

my Committee Work and my dear Ladies. But I really do hope to look in at

the Mothers'-Small-Clothes next week. Did you make cheering progress at

Monday's Committee? Was the Board hopeful about future prospects? And

are we nicely off for Trousers?"

The heavenly gentleness of his smile made his apologies irresistible.

The richness of his deep voice added its own indescribable charm to

the interesting business question which he had just addressed to me.

In truth, we were almost TOO nicely off for Trousers; we were quite

overwhelmed by them. I was just about to say so, when the door opened

again, and an element of worldly disturbance entered the room, in the

person of Miss Verinder.

She approached dear Mr. Godfrey at a most unladylike rate of speed,

with her hair shockingly untidy, and her face, what I should call,

unbecomingly flushed.




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