The Real Charlotte. 109 



power, and was the greatest help to him in supporting that 

 poor girl in the water ; but the townspeople were so very 

 inquisitive, and really annoyed him so much with their ques- 

 tions, that he said to me this morning he hoped he'd hear 

 no more about it, which is why I took the liberty of asking 

 Mrs. Gascogne, that the Archdeacon wouldn't mention it to 

 him." 



" Oh, yes, yes," said Mrs. Gascogne very politely, recall- 

 ing herself with difficulty from the mental excursion on 

 which she had started when Lady Dysart's unrelenting eye 

 had been removed. " I am sure he will — a — be delighted. 

 I think, you know, Isabel, we ought — " 



Lady Dysart was on her feet in a moment. " Yes, 

 indeed, we ought ! " she responded briskly. " I have to 

 pick up Pamela. Good-bye, Mrs. Lambert ; I hope I shall 

 find you looking better the next time I see you, and remem- 

 ber, if you cannot sleep, that there is no opiate like an open 

 window 1 " 



Mrs. Lambert's exclamation of horror followed her visitors 

 out of the room. Open windows were regarded by her as a 

 necessary housekeeping evil, akin to twigging carpets and 

 whitewashing the kitchen, something to be got over before 

 anyone came downstairs. Not even her reverence for Lady 

 Dysart would induce her to tolerate such a thing in any 

 room in which she was, and she returned to her woolwork, 

 well satisfied to let the July sunshine come to her through 

 the well-fitting plate-glass windows of her hideous drawing- 

 room. 



** The person I do pity in the whole matter," remarked 

 Lady Dysart, as the landau rolled out of the Rosemount 

 gates and towards Lismoyle, " is Charlotte Mullen. Of 

 course, that poor excellent little Mrs. Lambert got a great 

 shock, but that was nothing compared with seeing the sail 

 go flat down on the water, as the people in the launch did. 

 In the middle of all poor Pamela's own fright, when she was 

 tearing open one of the luncheon baskets to get some whisky 

 out, Charlotte went into raging hysterics, and roared^ my 

 dear ! And then she all but fainted on to the top of Mr. 

 Hawkins. Who would ever have thought of her breaking 

 down in that kind of way ? " 



" Faugh ! " said Mrs. Gascogne. " disgusting creature ! " 



