‘I’ve asked him.’
‘Oh, but he is so very exclusive. I hear he is quite difficult to get. He is not at all fond of visiting. He shoots and hunts a great deal, they say, but doesn’t care for balls or parties.’
‘I think he will come,’ said Bella. ‘Colonel O’Shaughnessy brought him to us last Thursday, and he seemed quite to take to—Mr. Piper.’
‘And he was giving you a lesson in archery, Miss Coyle told me. You must be very careful, my dear. I thought you were just a little imprudent to let him ride by your carriage yesterday. A man of that kind would get you talked about in no time.’
‘My dear Mrs. Dulcimer, I don’t the least mind being talked about.’
‘Bella!’
‘In fact, I rather like it.’
‘Bella! I don’t think I could endure my existence if I thought that people talked about me,’ cried Mrs. Dulcimer, solemnly. ‘Of course, in my case it would be particularly awful. A vicar’s wife is like Cæsar’s.’
‘Cæsar had so many wives,’ said Bella. ‘He could hardly expect all of them to be respectable.’
‘My dear,’ exclaimed Mrs. Dulcimer, her whole countenance suddenly illuminated, ‘I have such a splendid idea.’