"Very well, dear," said Mrs Maybury, quite amicably.
"And then, as to Miss Bird and Mr Cleave----"
"Oh, they had better stay on," interrupted Mrs Maybury; "three hundred a year, though magnificent compared to what you have been getting, is not a very great income. Miss Bird and Mr Cleave will still be a great help."
"I have altered my opinion about Miss Bird," said Mr Maybury; "I am beginning to like her."
"And do you still consider Mr Cleave an 'old woman'?" inquired Mrs Maybury.
"I do," said Mr Maybury--"an older woman than ever. If he wants to go, I shan't beg him to stop."
Curiously enough, within a few days Mr Cleave put Mr Maybury's declaration to the test. For, on the day Jim recovered consciousness, Mr Cleave informed Mrs Maybury that he had decided to go and live with some relatives at Norwood. Mrs Maybury said that she should be sorry to part with Mr Cleave, but Mr Maybury preserved a discreet silence on the point.
And it fell out in this wise.
Mr Cleave had always admired Dora, and had always exerted himself to be agreeable to her. When, therefore, Dora's engagement with Harold Jefferson was broken off, Mr Cleave began to pay a large amount of attention to his appearance. He bought some new made-up ties and some new collars of the latest shape; also, he had his hair cut, and purchased a new pair of button-up boots.
At all meals, thenceforth, he engaged Dora in sprightly conversation, and one day, meeting her alone in the drawing-room, he handed her a book.