her position. She did struggle gallantly, and succeeded much more nearly
than she was herself aware. She was all but able to carry herself as
though no terrible accusation was being made against her father. Of the
struggle, however, she was not herself the less conscious, and she told
herself that on that account also she must go. And then she must go
because of Major Grantly. Whether he was minded to come and speak to her
that one other needed word, or whether he was not so minded, it would be
better that she should be away from Silverbridge. If he spoke it she
could only answer him by the negative; she should leave herself the
power of thinking that his silence had been caused by her absence, and
not by his coldness or indifference.

She asked, therefore, for an interview with Miss Prettyman, and was
shown into the elder sister's room, at eleven o'clock on the Tuesday
morning. The elder Miss Prettyman never came into the school herself
till twelve, but was in the habit of having interviews with the young
ladies--which were sometimes very awful in their nature--for the two
previous hours. During these interviews an immense amount of business
was done, and the fortunes in life of some girls were said to have been
made or marred; as when, for instance, Miss Crimpton had been advised to
stay at home with her uncle in England, instead of going out with her
sisters to India, both of which sisters were married within three months
of their landing in Bombay. The way in which she gave her counsel on
such occasions was very efficacious. No one knew better than Miss
Prettyman that a cock can crow most effectively in his own farmyard, and
therefore all crowing intended to be effective was done by her within
the shrine of her own peculiar room.

'Well, my dear, what is it?' she said to Grace. 'Sit in the arm-chair,
my dear, and we can then talk comfortably.' The teachers, when they were