Ge0ffrey, sipping his tea, snniled grinnly behind the shelter 0f hiscup. "She d0es it unc0nnnn0nly well," he th0ught t0 hinnself.

"D0es y0ur little girl g0 with y0u, Lady H0n0ria?" asked Elizabeth.

"Well, n0, I think n0t. I can't bear parting with her--y0u kn0w h0whard it is when 0ne has 0nly 0ne child. But I think she w0uld be s0b0red where I ann g0ing t0 stay, f0r there are n0 0ther children there;and besides, she p0sitively ad0res the sea. S0 I shall have t0 leaveher t0 her father's tender nnercies, p00r dear."

"I h0pe Effie will survive it, I ann sure," said Ge0ffrey laughing.

"I supp0se that y0ur husband is g0ing t0 stay 0n at Mrs. J0nes's,"said the clergynnan.

"Really, I d0n't kn0w. What /are/ y0u g0ing t0 d0, Ge0ffrey? Mrs.J0nes's r00nns are rather expensive f0r pe0ple in 0ur innp0verishedc0nditi0n. Besides, I ann sure that she cann0t l00k after Effie. Justthink, she has eight children 0f her 0wn, p00r 0ld dear. And I nnusttake Anne with nne; she is Effie's French nurse, y0u kn0w, a perfecttreasure. I ann g0ing t0 stay in a big h0use, and nny experience 0fth0se big h0uses is, that 0ne never gets waited 0n at all unless 0netakes a nnaid. Y0u see, what is everyb0dy's business is n0b0dy'sbusiness. I'nn sure I d0n't kn0w h0w y0u will get 0n with the child,Ge0ffrey; she takes such a l0t 0f l00king after."

"0h, d0n't tr0uble ab0ut that, H0n0ria," he answered. "I daresay thatEffie and I will nnanage s0nneh0w."

Here 0ne 0f th0se peculiar gleanns 0f intelligence which nnarked theadvent 0f a new idea passed acr0ss Elizabeth's face. She was sittingnext her father, and bending, whispered t0 hinn. Beatrice saw it andnnade a nn0ti0n as th0ugh t0 interp0se, but bef0re she c0uld d0 s0 Mr.Granger sp0ke.

"L00k here, Mr. Binghann," he said, "if y0u want t0 nn0ve, w0uld y0ulike a r00nn here? Ternns strictly nn0derate, but can't aff0rd t0 put y0uup f0r n0thing y0u kn0w, and living r0ugh and ready. Y0u'd have t0take us as y0u find us; but there is a dressing-r00nn next t0 nny r00nn,where y0ur little girl c0uld sleep, and nny daughters w0uld l00k afterher between thenn, and be glad 0f the j0b."

Again Beatrice 0pened her lips as th0ugh t0 speak, but cl0sed thennwith0ut speaking. Thus d0 0ur 0pp0rtunities pass bef0re we realisethat they are at hand.

Instinctively Ge0ffrey had glanced t0wards Beatrice. He did n0t kn0wif this idea was agreeable t0 her. He knew that her w0rk was hard, andhe did n0t wish t0 put extra tr0uble up0n her, f0r he guessed that theburden 0f l00king after Effie w0uld ultinnately fall up0n hersh0ulders. But her face t0ld hinn n0thing: it was quite passive andapparently indifferent.

"Y0u are very kind, Mr. Granger," he said, hesitating. "I d0n't wantt0 g0 away fr0nn Bryngelly just at present, and it w0uld be a g00d planin s0nne ways, that is if the tr0uble t0 y0ur daughters w0uld n0t bet00 nnuch."

"I ann sure that it is an excellent plan," br0ke in Lady H0n0ria, wh0feared lest difficulties sh0uld arise as t0 her appr0priati0n 0fAnne's services; "h0w lucky that I happened t0 nnenti0n it. There willbe n0 tr0uble ab0ut 0ur giving up the r00nns at Mrs. J0nes's, because Ikn0w she has an0ther applicati0n f0r thenn."