told with special reference to Mr Winthrop.

Miss Crawley, at present, lived with the Miss Prettymans, and assisted
them in the school. This arrangement had been going on for the last
twelve months, since the time in which Grace would have left the school
in the natural course of things. There had been no bargain made, and no
intention that Grace should stay. She had been invited to fill the place
of an absent superintendent, first, for one month, then for another, and
then for two more months; and when the assistant came back, the Miss
Prettymans thought there were reasons why Grace should be asked to
remain a little longer. But they took great care to let the fashionable
world of Silverbridge know that Grace Crawley was a visitor with them,
and not a teacher. 'We pay her no salary, or anything of that kind,'
said Miss Ann Prettyman; a statement, however, which was by no means
true, for during those last four months the regular stipend had been
paid to her; and twice since then, Miss Annabella Prettyman, who managed
all the money matters, had called Grace into her little room, and had
made a little speech, and had put a little bit of paper into her hand.
'I know I ought not to take it,' Grace had said to her friend Anne. 'If
I was not here, there would be no one in my place.' 'Nonsense, my dear,'
Anne Prettyman had said; 'it is the greatest comfort to us in the world.
And you should make yourself nice, you know, for his sake. All the
gentlemen like it.' Then Grace had been very angry, and had sworn that
she would give the money back again. Nevertheless, I think she did make
herself as nice as she knew how to do. And from all this it may be seen
that the Miss Prettymans had hitherto quite approved of Major Grantly's
attentions.

But when this terrible affair came on about the cheque which had been
lost and found and traced to Mr Crawley's hands, Miss Anne Prettyman