'Don't you recollect her? Miss Clare, our old governess,' said Lady
Agnes. 'About twelve or fourteen years ago, before Lady Cuxhaven was
married.'

'Oh, yes!' said he. 'Miss Clare, who had the scarlet fever here; a very
pretty delicate girl. But I thought she was married!'

'Yes!' said Lady Cumnor. 'She was a silly little thing, and did not
know when she was well off; we were all very fond of her, I'm sure. She
went and married a poor curate, and became a stupid Mrs. Kirkpatrick;
but we always kept on calling her 'Clare.' And now he's dead, and left
her a widow, and she is staying here; and we are racking our brains to
find out some way of helping her to a livelihood without parting her
from her child. She's somewhere about the grounds, if you like to renew
your acquaintance with her.'

'Thank you, my lady. I'm afraid I cannot stop to-day. I have a long
round to go; I've stayed here too long as it is, I'm afraid.'

Long as his ride had been that day, he called on the Miss Brownings in
the evening, to arrange about Molly's accompanying them to the Towers.
They were tall handsome women, past their first youth, and inclined to
be extremely complaisant to the widowed doctor.

'Eh dear! Mr. Gibson, but we shall he delighted to have her with us.
You should never have thought of asking us such a thing,' said Miss
Browning the elder.

'I'm sure I'm hardly sleeping at nights for thinking of it,' said Miss
Phoebe. 'You know I've never been there before. Sister has many a time;