She had not been in the place two days, before she knew "all about everybody." How Captain Curry Cucumber, who lived at the big red brick house, "just as you passed the common, you know," was an old returned East India officer (and who was seventy years old if he was a day), was immensely rich, and had come home with a lakh of rupees to marry and settle down. He had an "awful temper in course," as his landlady said, and swore dreadful at his "pore black man," but then he had a sweet yellow face, and his widow would be left very comfortably off. Then she learnt too of our old friend the doctor, how he was a gay young bachelor; and of course she found out all about Mrs Hartshorne, and her place and her ways and her oddities. She learnt also of the Revd. Herbert Pringle, and his little church at Hartwood: and as he was a relative of the great Sir Boanerges Todhunter, and was a young man with a good living, and probably had property of his own, she made up her mind to patronise him, especially as he was the protege of the dowager. Accordingly she and her tender daughters and the young Sir Mortimer attended divine service at Hartwood the first Sunday of her stay at Bigton, and she was so wonderfully pleased with the performances of the ritualistic rector--he was "so like that dear Aminadab, at St. Barnabas'," that she made up her mind to go there always in future, and not to patronise the Reverend Jabez, of Bigton. She met Tom after church. She was "delighted to see him," and made him promise to call next day and bring the Reverend Herbert Pringle, on his mentioning that he was a great friend and a nice fellow. The dowager having bundled out of church immediately the service was over, Lady Inskip had then had no opportunity to make her acquaintance, although she assured Tom she was "longing to know her," but as she was an old lady, she, Lady Inskip, said she would do herself the honour of paying a visit at The Poplars very shortly. She was _so_ glad to see Mr Markworth, too, "quite an unexpected pleasure to see him down here," when she was really mortally afraid of that worthy, who she could readily perceive, with a woman's mental keenness of vision, had taken her measure and thoroughly understood her plans and tactics. Altogether Lady Inskip was delighted with everything, as, fortunately for her peace of mind, she had not seen the pretty Lizzie Pringle, and was unaware of Tom's present infatuation about that young lady, which anyone "with half an eye," except those personally concerned, would have at once recognised. She drove back to Bigton, in a very pleasant frame of mind, at peace with her daughters, herself and everything around her; and her smart little equipage--a park phaeton and pair of ponies--caused much excitement amongst the rustics along the road.