In this part of her ladyship’s narrative there was an inaccuracy of statement amounting to a falsehood. It was a lie too of that nature which even Dr Paley would not allow. There are some falsehoods to which that dexterous moralist extends his mercy. He says, for instance; “There are falsehoods which are not lies, that is, which are not criminal--as, where no one is deceived.” This, we presume, is the principle, though not avowedly so, on which the ingenious moralist vindicates his latitudinarian doctrine on the subject of subscription to the Thirty-nine articles. For that subscription does not deceive any one. But Lady Aimwell had not read Paley, or if she had, she thought that she had as great a right to extend the latitude as the moralist had to make it. Thus, laws are like crockery; one servant cracks them, and another breaks them, and both find their own excuse. The long and the short of the matter is, that Lady Aimwell’s assertion that Miss Glossop was in the habit of visiting the castle, and throwing herself in the way of Lord Spoonbill, was absolutely incorrect. But without some such assertion there was no making a good story of it. And as written and printed biography generally contains about fifty per cent lies of compliment and flattery, so, spoken biography, or gossip, contains as generally about fifty per cent lies of scandal and calumny. When Mr Darnley the elder heard this melancholy narrative, and when Lady Aimwell, through much speaking, was totally exhausted and reduced to compulsory silence, the worthy clergyman addressed himself in the language of consolation to her ladyship, and as her ladyship was too much exhausted to speak, she was under the necessity of listening. And then Mr Darnley went on to say much concerning the obstinacy of young women, thinking perhaps at the same time quite as much of the obstinacy of young men. When, gentle reader, when will that happy day arrive, in which young men and young women will act, think, dress, talk, and fall in love, just exactly as old men and old women wish them to do? The next consideration was to take such steps as might be thought necessary to bring back the fugitive. And then the consultation went on very gravely, and then Robert Darnley ventured, and not till then, to say that no doubt this was the lady alluded to in Mr Zephaniah Pringle’s letter. Mr Darnley the elder could not gainsay this, for the evidence was so very strong; and thereupon the rector of Neverden began to waver in his opinion concerning Miss Primrose, for it was very clear that Miss Primrose was not the person who had eloped with Colonel Crop.