daughter with her, and she avails with the girl's conscience by being
simply dependent and obstructive. The young people have carried their
engagement through, and now such hope as they have is fixed upon her
finally yielding in the matter of their marriage, though Glendenning was
obliged to confess that there was no sign of her doing so. They
agree--Miss Bentley and he--that they cannot get married as they got
engaged, in spite of her mother--it would be unclerical if it wouldn't
be unfilial--and they simply have to bide their time."

My wife asked abruptly, "How many chambers are there in the Conwell
place?"

I said, and then she asked, "Is there a windmill or a force-pump?" I
answered proudly that in Gormanville there was town water, but that if
this should give out there were both a windmill and a force-pump on the
Conwell place.

"It is very complete," she sighed, as if this had removed all hope from
her, and she added, "I suppose we had better take it."


V.

We certainly did not take it for the sake of being near the Bentleys,
neither of whom had given us particular reason to desire their further
acquaintance, though the young lady had agreeably modified herself when
apart from her mother. In fact, we went to Gormanville because it was an
exceptional chance to get a beautiful place for a very little money,
where we could go early and stay late. But no sooner had we acted from
this quite personal, not to say selfish, motive than we were rewarded