Kelland the most arrant nonsense in the world, and to her well-broken
scholars was about as interesting as the humming of a blue-bottle
fly; but it was poor Lovedy's one enjoyment, though making such havoc
of her work that it was always expiated by extra hours, not on her
pillow, but at it.

These visits of Rachel were considered to encourage the Kelland
refractoriness, and it was officially intimated that it would be wise
to discontinue them, and that "it was thought better" to withdraw
from Mrs. Kelland all that direct patronage of her trade, by which
the ladies had enabled her to be in some degree independent of the
middle-men, who absorbed so much of the profit from the workers.
Grace and Rachel, sufficiently old inhabitants to remember the
terrible wreck that had left her a struggling widow, felt this a
hard, not to say a vindictive decision. They had long been a kind of
agents for disposing of her wares at a distance; and, feeling that
the woman had received provocation, Grace was not disposed to give
her up, while Rachel loudly averred that neither Mr. Touchett nor any
of his ladies had any right to interfere, and she should take no
notice.

"But," said Grace, "can we run counter to our clergyman's direct
wishes?"

"Yes, when he steps out of his province. My dear Grace, you grew up
in the days of curatolatry, but it won't do; men are fallible even
when they preach in a surplice, and you may be thankful to me that
you and Fanny are not both led along in a string in the train of
Mr. Touchett's devotees!"