"Say that I was in your confidence; that we both know it was Adela; and that what was said about me was arranged between us to break the matter to her, and get her reconciled to the idea of him. And let it be myself, not you, to explain now to Adela."
"Yes, yes; do as you will," eagerly assented the mother: for she did feel sorry for Grace.
Grace went to Adela's room, and found her there, with Harriet. She had been recalling the past: and she saw now how attentive Francis Grubb had been to Adela; how fond of talking with her. "Had our eyes been open, we might have seen it all!" sighed Grace.
"How nicely you were all taken in last night!" she said, assuming a light playfulness, as she sat down at the open window. "Don't you think mamma and I got up that fable well about Mr. Grubb?"
"Got it up!" cried Harriet. "You hypocritical sinners! Did he not make the offer?"
"Ay; but not to me. It was better to put it so, don't you see, by way of breaking it to you."
"Then you are not going to be Lady Grace Grubb, after all!" said Adela. "Well, it would have been an incongruous assimilation of names."
"I am not. Guess who it is he wants, Adela?"
"Frances?" cried Harriet.
"No, but you are very near—you burn, as we children used to say at our play."