In a note added to his letter, immediately following the receipt of the call from the London church, Mr. Angus added:—
"I have just forwarded to Mr. Asbury an invitation to settle in our
great metropolis. Would you prefer to live in England? Of course I
could not give the parish an idea of what my answer will be till
I hear from you. Am I presumptuous? You first taught me to be
hopeful. Am I too daring to hope now?"
Early one morning soon after this, Mrs. Douglass sent Marion a note, requesting her to call at her earliest convenience.
On entering the house where Mrs. Douglass had rooms, Marion met in the hall a dashing young man, dressed in the height of the fashion, with a lighted cigar in his hand. She would have passed him without notice, but for a bold stare, which sent the indignant blood to her cheeks.
The knock at Mrs. Douglass's door was for a minute unanswered; then Mrs. Cheriton opened it, her eyes still flashing defiance, her head thrown back, but looking more brilliantly beautiful than the visitor had ever seen her.
Mrs. Douglass had evidently been under some strong excitement: her eyes were red with crying, and her hands trembled.