"Yes," replied Markham, "I know them very well; I was not aware they were in town, or I should have paid my respects to Mr. Martindale; he was a very kind friend to me before I left England, and he expressed a wish that I would call upon him on my return. Do you know them?"
"I did once," said the young lady, with a very peculiar and pointed emphasis on the word 'once;' "but, to say the truth, I did not think I was well treated by them. The ladies are very singular in their manners; but they are foreigners, and not much acquainted with English manners, and that may account for it. I am not fond of finding fault, but when one has experienced such treatment as I have, it is not an easy task to forget it."
"You astonish me," replied Markham: "it always appeared to me that they were persons of very superior minds, both mother and daughter; I thought them absolutely incapable of behaving intentionally ill to any one. Is it not possible that there may be some misunderstanding or misapprehension?"
Miss Henderson shook her head, and gave one of those serious smiles which speak volumes. "Oh no, Mr. Markham, it is no misapprehension or misunderstanding. You would be indeed astonished if I were to tell you all. Perhaps some of these days, I may tell you more than I like to mention at present; besides, as they are friends of yours, I have no wish to prejudice you against them."
Markham did not importune the lady to say more, therefore she proceeded without being asked.
"Did you observe a gentleman sitting in the pew with Mr. Martindale's family? that is Mr. Tippetson, a young gentleman of large fortune, or at least of very good property. He is the gentleman to whom Miss Rivolta is engaged. He was at one time an intimate friend of ours; but we grew quite tired of him, for he is a man of no mind whatever, one of the most ignorant creatures I ever saw. He used to pester me with his attentions, and I did not know how to get rid of him. Indeed, if ever I marry, it must be to a person who has some mind. As soon as he began to pay his court to Miss Rivolta, the young lady, who was formerly my correspondent, left off writing to me, and has since then taken no notice of me whatever. I wonder she can have the impudence to come to our chapel. I could show you such letters that she has written to me. You cannot imagine what a hypocrite she is."
In saying so much, and in using such a tone of anger in her expressions, Miss Henderson forgot herself. She was too deeply mortified by her jealousy to be under the government of prudence; and when she had said so much, she wished it more than half unsaid, but it was too late. Markham, ignorant as he was of the world and its ways, was not so ignorant and so unobserving as not to understand and apprehend the complexion of Miss Henderson's mind. And without knowing, or even caring what might be the exact state of the case, he very plainly saw that the temper and disposition of Miss Henderson were not such as met his ideas of propriety or moral beauty. That part of the information which most affected and concerned him, was the intelligence that Mr. Tippetson was engaged to Clara. He had no reason to doubt that fact, but was surprised to find that Clara could attach herself to such a character. Yet judging from the tenor of Miss Henderson's philippic, he thought that Mr. Tippetson might not be quite so great a blockhead as she had represented him.