"I suppose Robert Dalrymple and his wife are coming up today?"
"They came with me. Francis Netherleigh's carriage was waiting for them at the terminus. It brought me on also."
"And that poor girl Alice, is she any stronger?"
"She will never be stronger in this world," said the Rector, shaking his head. "But she is pretty well—for her. I think her life may be prolonged some few years yet."
"She and Gerard Hope had a love affair once; I am pretty sure of it. He liked her better than he liked Frances."
"Well, she could never have married. One so sickly as Alice ought not to become a wife; and she had, I expect, the good sense to see that. I know she is pleased at his marriage with Frances. She is most unselfish; truly good; there are not many like Alice Dalrymple. Her mother is surprisingly well," he went on, after a pause; "seems to have gone from an old woman into a young one. Robert's coming back did that for her."
"And now—what about Adela's behaviour? how is she going on?" snapped Lady Acorn, as if the very subject soured her.
"I wanted to speak to you about Adela," said Mr. Cleveland. "In one sense of the word, she is not going on satisfactorily. Though her health is pretty good, I believe, her mind is anything but healthy. Mary and I often talk of it in private, and she said I had better speak to you."
"Why, it is just the case of the MacIvors over again!" interrupted Lady Acorn. "Harriet sent Sandy to talk to me about it, just in this way, last summer."
"Yes, there has not been much change since then, I fancy. I confess that I am very sorry for Adela."