"Gambled," said Susan.
"Cards," said Mrs. Cairnes. "You see!"
"Not that sort of gambling!" cried Susan. "But stocks and that."
"It's the same thing," said Mrs. Cairnes.
"And that's the least part of it! They do say"—said Susan, balancing her teaspoon as if in doubt about speaking.
"They say what?" cried Mrs. Cairnes.
But for our part, as we don't know Mr. Dean Hampton, and, therefore, can not relish his misdoings with the same zest as if we did, we will not waste time on what was said. Only when Susan had gone, Mrs. Maybury rose, too, and said, "I must say, Julia, that I think this dreadful conversation is infinitely worse and more wicked than any game of cards could be!"
"What are you talking about?" said Julia, jocosely, and quite good-humored again.
"And the amount of shocking gossip of this description that I've heard since I've been in your house is already more than I've heard in the whole course of my life! Dr. Maybury would never allow a word of gossip in our rooms." And she went to bed.
"You shall never have another word in mine!" said the thunderstricken Julia to herself. And if she had heard that the North Pole had tipped all its ice off into space, she wouldn't have told her a syllable about it all that week.