He was there, however, before her thoughts were of much service to her, and she began by apologising for the breakfast things. "It is I that ought to beg your pardon for coming so early," said he; "but my time at present is so occupied that I hardly know how to find half an hour for myself; and I thought you would excuse me." "Oh, certainly," said she; and then sitting down she waited for him to begin. It would have been clear to any observer, had there been one present, that Mr Maguire had practised his lesson. He could not rid himself of those unmistakable signs of preparation which every speaker shows when he has been guilty of them. But this probably did not matter with Miss Mackenzie, who was too intent on the part she herself had to play to notice his imperfections. "I saw that you observed, Miss Mackenzie," he said, "that I kept aloof from you on the two last evenings on which I met you at Mrs Stumfold's." "That's a long time ago, Mr Maguire," she answered. "It's nearly a month since I went to Mrs Stumfold's house." "I know that you were not there on the last Thursday. I noticed it. I could not fail to notice it. Thinking so much of you as I do, of course I did notice it. Might I ask you why you did not go?" "I'd rather not say anything about it," she replied, after a pause. "Then there has been some reason? Dear Miss Mackenzie, I can assure you I do not ask you without a cause." "If you please, I will not speak upon that subject. I had much rather not, indeed, Mr Maguire." "And shall I not have the pleasure of seeing you there on next Thursday?" "Certainly not." "Then you have quarrelled with her, Miss Mackenzie?" He said nothing now of the perfections of that excellent woman, of whom not long since he had spoken in terms almost too strong for any simple human virtues. "I'd rather not speak of it. It can't do any good. I don't know why you should ask me whether I intend to go there any more, but as you have, I have answered you." Then Mr Maguire got up from his chair, and walked about the room, and Miss Mackenzie, watching him closely, could see that he was much moved. But, nevertheless, I think he had made up his mind to walk about the room beforehand. After a while he paused, and, still standing, spoke to her again across the table. "May I ask you this question? Has Mrs Stumfold said anything to you about me?" "I'd rather not talk about Mrs Stumfold." "But, surely, I may ask that. I don't think you are the woman to allow anything said behind a person's back to be received to his detriment." "Whatever one does hear about people one always hears behind their backs." "Then she has told you something, and you have believed it?" She felt herself to be so driven by him that she did not know how to protect herself. It seemed to her that these clerical people of Littlebath had very little regard for the feelings of others in their modes of following their own pursuits.