But Mrs. Gosselin only knitted on, persisting in profundity. She replied that "Home" was a feint, that Mrs. Ashbury would already have given another order, and that it was her wish to hurry off to Northerley that had made her keep them from going with her to the carriage, in which they would have seen her take a suspected direction. Mary explained to Guy Firminger that her mother had perceived poor Mrs. Ashbury to be frantic to reach the house at which she had heard that Mr. Raddle was staying. The young man stared again and wanted to know what she desired to do with Mr. Raddle. Mary replied that her mother would tell him what Mrs. Ashbury desired to do with poor Maud.
"What all Christian mothers desire," said Mrs. Gosselin. "Only she doesn't know how."
"To marry the dear child to Mr. Raddle," Mary added, smiling.
Firminger's vagueness expanded with the subject. "Do you mean you want to marry your dear child to that little cad?" he asked of the elder lady.
"I speak of the general duty—not of the particular case," said Mrs. Gosselin.
"Mamma does know how," Mary went on.
"Then why ain't you married?"
"Because we're not acting, like the Ashburys, with injudicious precipitation. Is that correct?" the girl demanded, laughing, of her mother.
"Laugh at me, my dear, as much as you like—it's very lucky you've got me," Mrs. Gosselin declared.
"She means I can't manage for myself," said Mary to the visitor.