She accordingly prepared herself patiently to give it.

"If you see me in church," she said, kindly and attentively, "I
suppose you live in Hampstead too?"

"Oh yes," said Mrs. Wilkins. And she repeated, her head on its
long thin neck drooping a little as if the recollection of Hampstead
bowed her, "Oh yes."

"Where?" asked Mrs. Arbuthnot, who, when advice was needed,
naturally first proceeded to collect the facts.

But Mrs. Wilkins, laying her hand softly and caressingly on the
part of The Times where the advertisement was, as though the mere
printed words of it were precious, only said, "Perhaps that is why this
seems so wonderful."

"No--I think that's wonderful anyhow," said Mrs. Arbuthnot,
forgetting facts and faintly sighing.

"Then you were reading it?"

"Yes," said Mrs. Arbuthnot, her eyes going dreamy again.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful?" murmured Mrs. Wilkins.

"Wonderful," said Mrs. Arbuthnot. Her face, which had lit up,
faded into patience again. "Very wonderful," she said. "But it's no
use wasting one's time thinking of such things."