"I don't know anybody that does not," said Brooke.
"And when she's disappointed, she shows it. There's no doubt she is disappointed now, Mr. Burgess."
"What's the good of going on, Camilla?" said Mrs. French. Arabella sat silent in her corner, with a conscious glow of satisfaction, as she reflected that the joint disappointment of the elder and the younger Miss Stanbury had been caused by a tender remembrance of her own charms. Had not dear Mr. Gibson told her, in the glowing language of truth, that there was nothing further from his thoughts than the idea of taking Dorothy Stanbury for his wife?
"Well, you know," continued Camilla, "I think that when a person makes an attempt, and comes by the worst of it, that person should put up with the defeat, and not say all manner of ill-natured things. Everybody knows that a certain gentleman is very intimate in this house."
"Don't, dear," said Arabella, in a whisper.
"Yes, I shall," said Camilla. "I don't know why people should hold their tongues, when other people talk so loudly. I don't care a bit what anybody says about the gentleman and us. We have known him for ever so many years, and mamma is very fond of him."
"Indeed I am, Camilla," said Mrs. French.
"And for the matter of that, so am I,—very," said Camilla, laughing bravely. "I don't care who knows it."
"Don't be so silly, child," said Arabella. Camilla was certainly doing her best, and Arabella was grateful.
"We don't care what people may say," continued Camilla again. "Of course we heard, as everybody else heard too, that a certain gentleman was to be married to a certain lady. It was nothing to us whether he was married or not."