Mrs. Midleton and her husband returned on a Saturday afternoon. The road from Thaxton cross-roads did not lie through the town: the carriage was closed and nobody saw her. When they came to the rectory the Doctor pointed to the verse in white paint on the wall, “It shall be taken out,” he said, “before to-morrow morning: to-morrow is Sunday.” He was expected to preach on that day and the church was crammed a quarter of an hour before the service began. At five minutes to eleven a lady and child entered and walked to the rector’s pew. The congregation was stupefied with amazement. Mouths were agape, a hum of exclamations arose, and people on the further side of the church stood up. It was Mrs. Fairfax! Nobody had conjectured that she and Mrs. Leighton were the same person. It was unimaginable that a dressmaker should have had near ancestors in the peerage. It was more than a year and a half since she left the town. Mrs. Carter was able to say that not a single letter had been addressed to her, and she was almost forgotten. A few days afterwards Mrs. Sweeting had a little note requesting her to take tea with the Rector and his wife. Nobody was asked to meet her. Mrs. Bingham had called the day before, and had been extremely apologetic. “I am afraid, Mrs. Midleton, you must have thought me sometimes very rude to you.” To which Mrs. Midleton replied graciously, “I am sure if you had been it would have been quite excusable.” “Extremely kind of you to say so, Mrs. Midleton.” Mrs. Cobb also called. “I’ll just let her see,” said Mrs. Cobb to herself; and she put on a gown which Mrs. Midleton as Mrs. Fairfax had made for her. “You’ll remember this gown, Mrs. Midleton?” “Perfectly well. It is not quite a fit on the shoulders. If you will let me have it back again it will give me great pleasure to alter it for you.” By degrees, however, Mrs. Midleton came to be loved by many people in Langborough. Mr. Sweeting not long afterwards died in debt, and Mrs. Sweeting, the old housekeeper being also dead, was taken into the rectory as her successor, and became Mrs. Midleton’s trusted friend. FOOTNOTES {10} Since 1868 the _Reminiscences_ and his _Life_ have been published which put this estimate of him beyond all doubt. It is much to be regretted that a certain theory, a certain irresistible tendency to arrange facts so as to prove preconceived notions, a tendency more dangerous and unhistorical even than direct suppression of the truth or invention of what is not true, should have ruined Carlyle’s biography. Professor Norton’s edition of the _Reminiscences_ should be compared with Mr. Froude’s. {34a} _Ethic_ pt. 1, def. 3. {34b} Ibid., pt. 1, def. 6. {34c} Ibid., pt. 1, prop. 11. {36} _Ethic_, pt. 2, prop. 47. {37a} Letter 56 (Van Vloten and Land’s ed.). {37b} _Ethic_, pt. 1, coroll. prop. 25. {37c} Ibid., pt. 5, prop. 24. {37d} Ibid., pt. 1, schol. to prop. 17. {38} _Ethic_, pt. 1, schol. to prop. 17.