A few minutes later Mrs Dean went towards the door.
“I’ll be back again directly,” she whispered. “I want to speak to Esau.”
She was back directly, and Mrs John held out her hand to her.
“Thank you, thank you so very much,” she whispered. “I am so sorry to have given you all this trouble.”
Mrs Dean laughed.
“Trouble!” she said, merrily; “as if it was trouble for one woman to help another. I mean a lady,” she said, colouring.
There was silence for a few moments, and then Mrs John said—
“I thought I must come down to see Mayne. Has he told you of his wish to go with us to the West?”
“Told me?” cried Mrs Dean, excitedly. “Ah, now you are talking about trouble indeed.”
“We came down to tell him that it is impossible—foolish of him to think of such a thing.”