" Mrs. Masters seated herself on the nearest chair and leaning
her head against the wall, began to go into hysterics. "Your letter
has already gone, Mary; and I desire you will write no other
without letting me know." Then he left the room and the house,--and
absolutely went over to the Bush. This latter proceeding was,
however, hardly more than a bravado; for he merely took the
opportunity of asking Mrs. Runciman a question at the bar, and then
walked back to his own house, and shut himself up in the office.
On the next morning he called on Reginald Morton and told him that
his daughter had accepted Lady Ushant's invitation, but could not
go till the 18th. "I shall be proud to take charge of her," said
Reginald. "And as for the change in the day it will suit me all
the better." So that was settled.
On the next day, Friday, Mrs. Masters did not come down to
breakfast, but was waited upon up-stairs by her own daughters. This
with her was a most unusual circumstance. The two maids were of
opinion that such a thing had never occurred before, and that
therefore Master must have been out half the night at the
public-house although they had not known it. To Mary she would
hardly speak a word. She appeared at dinner and called her husband
Mr. Masters when she helped him to stew. All the afternoon she
averred that her head was splitting, but managed to say many very
bitter things about gentlemen in general, and expressed a vehement
hope that that poor man Goarly would get at least a hundred pounds.
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