Besides, she was of so tender a nature that even thick-skinned Mrs Goodenough was unwilling to say what would give Miss Phoebe pain; and it was the new-comer Mrs Dawes, who in all ignorance alluded to the town's talk, as to something of which Miss Phoebe must be aware.Then Miss Phoebe poured down her questions, although she protested, even with tears, her total disbelief in all the answers she received.It was a small act of heroism on her part to keep all that she there learnt a secret from her sister Sally, as she did for four or five days; till Miss Browning attacked her one evening with the following speech, -'Phoebe! either you've some reason for puffing yourself out with sighs, or you've not.If you have a reason, it's your duty to tell it me directly;and if you've no reason, you must break yourself of a bad habit that is growing upon you.'
'Oh, sister! do you think it is really my duty to tell you? it would be such a comfort; but then I thought I ought not; it will distress you so.'
'Nonsense.I am so well prepared for misfortune by the frequent contemplation of its possibility that I believe I can receive any ill news with apparent equanimity and real resignation.Besides, when you said yesterday at breakfast-time that you meant to give up the day to making your drawers tidy, I was aware that some misfortune was impending, though of course I could not judge of its magnitude.Is the Highchester Bank broken?'
'Oh no, sister!' said Miss Phoebe, moving to a seat close to her sister's on the sofa.'Have you really been thinking that! I wish I had told you what I heard at the very first, if you've been fancying that!'
'Take warning, Phoebe, and learn to have no concealments from me.Idid think we must be ruined, from your ways of going on; eating no meat at dinner, and sighing continually.And now what is it?'
'I hardly know how to tell you, Sally.I really don't.'
Miss Phoebe began to cry; Miss Browning took hold of her arm, and gave her a little sharp shake.
'Cry as much as you like when you've told me; but don't cry now, child, when you're keeping me on the tenterhooks.'
'Molly Gibson has lost her character, sister.That's it.'
'Molly Gibson has done no such thing!' said Miss Browning indignantly.
'How dare you repeat such stories about poor Mary's child! Never let me hear you say such things again!'
'I can't help it.Mrs Dawes told me; and she says it's all over the town.I told her I did not believe a word of it.And I kept it from you;and I think I should have been really ill if I'd kept it to myself any longer.Oh, sister! what are you going to do?'
For Miss Browning had risen without speaking a word, and was leaving the room in a stately and determined fashion.
'I am going to put on my bonnet and things, and then I shall call upon Mrs Dawes, and confront her with her lies.'
'Oh, don't call them "lies," sister; it's such a strong, ugly word.
Please call them "tallydiddles," for I don't believe she meant any harm.
Besides - besides - if they should turn out to be truth! Really, sister, that's the weight on my mind; so many things sounded as if they might be true.'
'What things?' said Miss Browning, still standing with judicial erectness of position in the middle of the floor.
'Why - one story was that Molly had given him a letter.'
'Who's him? How am I to understand a story told in that silly way?'
Miss Browning sate down on the nearest chair, and made up her mind to be patient if she could.
'Him is Mr Preston.And that must be true; because I missed her from my side when I wanted to ask her if she thought blue would look green by candlelight, as the young man said it would, and she had run across the street, and Mrs Goodenough was just going into the shop, just as she said she was.'
Miss Browning's distress was overcoming her anger; so she only said, 'Phoebe, I think you'll drive me mad.Do tell me what you heard from Mrs Dawes in a sensible and coherent manner, for once in your life.'
'I'm sure I'm trying with all my might to tell you everything just as it happened.'
'What did you hear from Mrs Dawes?'
'Why, that Molly and Mr Preston were keeping company just as if she was a maid-servant and he was a gardener; meeting at all sorts of improper times and places, and fainting away in his arms, and out at night together, and writing to each other, and slipping their letters into each other's hands; and that was what I was talking about, sister, for I next door to saw that done once.I saw her with my own eyes run across the street to Grinstead's, where he was, for we had just left him there; with a letter in her hand, too, which was not there when she came back all fluttered and blushing.But I never thought anything of it at the time; but now all the town is talking about it, and crying shame, and saying they ought to be married.' Miss Phoebe sank, into sobbing again; but was suddenly roused by a good box on her car.Miss Browning was standing over her almost trembling with passion.
'Phoebe, if ever I hear you say such things again, I'll turn you out of the house that minute.'
'I only said what Mrs Dawes said, and you asked me what it was,' replied Miss Phoebe, humbly and meekly.'Sally, you should not have done that.'
'Never mind whether I should or I shouldn't.That's not the matter in hand.What I've got to decide is how to put a stop to all these lies.'
'But, Sally, they are not all lies - if you will call them so; I'm afraid some things are true; though I stuck to their being false when Mrs Dawes told me of them.'
'If I go to Mrs Dawes, and she repeats them to me, I shall slap her face or box her ears I'm afraid, for I couldn't stand tales being told of poor Mary's daughter, as if they were just a, stirring piece of news like James Horrocks' pig with two heads,' said Miss Browning, meditating aloud.'That would do harm instead of good.Phoebe, I'm really sorry Iboxed your ears, only I should do it again if you said the same things.'