'And what is her mother?'
'Don't call her mother! You shall hear. I could not stay at home! I went to the Faithfulls' room: I found Miss Mercy waiting for her, to join in a walk to some poor person. I went with them. I checked her when she was going into the cottage. We have been walking round Brackley's fields—'
'And poor Miss Mercy?'
'Never remembered her till this moment!'
'She will forgive! And her ladyship?'
'That's the worst of it. She was nearly as bad as you could have been!—so intensely civil and amiable, that I began to think her all on my side. I really could be taken in to suppose she felt for us!'
'I have no doubt she did. My good aunt is very sincerely loth to hurt people's feelings.'
'She talked of her duty! She sympathized! It was not till I was out of the house that I saw it was all by way of letting me down easy-trapping me into binding myself on honour not to correspond.'
'Not correspond!' cried Louis, in consternation. 'Are you not engaged?'
'As far as understanding each other goes. But who knows what may be her machinations, or Isabel's sense of obedience?'