"But, Charles dear, she may marry." "Marry, ma'am? Bless my soul, of course she will! She will marry me! She has said so, don't you see?" Mrs. Wimbush never said another word, but fell flat down upon the grass. "What on earth has got the woman?" thought Mr. Charles. "She couldn't have taken it worse if I had proposed to murder her daughter." In their walk they had strayed through the trees close to the outskirts of another picnic party. Mr. Charles immediately ran to ask some fair volunteer to come to the assistance of Mrs. Wimbush, who had fainted. At hearing the name, an active middle-aged lady sprang up and followed him. It was Mrs. Marrables. The sight of her mother brought Mrs. Wimbush round quicker than any smelling bottle could have done. She sat up. "Mother, Mr. Brookshank; Mr. Brookshank, my mother, Mrs. Marrables." They bowed. "Have the goodness to leave us together, Mr. Charles." He bowed and obeyed. "Mother," said Mrs. Wimbush, "what on earth brought you here? I thought you were at Taunton." "No, dear. I have been at Bournemouth three weeks, I came merely for change. Only last week I heard of your being here, and should have called, but have been so much occupied, and I felt sure of meeting you somewhere, and thought the surprise might be the more agreeable. We've had a most delightful picnic with the Mount Stewart folks. But what was all this fainting about? One would think Mr. Brookshank had been proposing to you." "He certainly made me a proposal mother, but I was quite unprepared for it, and was overcome." "What an imaginative and sensitive-minded girl you must be, Matilda! You make me feel quite young. When will you be old enough to attend to business? You will accept him, of course? Well, do as you please; you may reckon on my consent, you know. But I must get back to my party, and perhaps you had better rejoin yours. Ta-ta." Jilted for her daughter! It wasn't pleasant. When Mrs. Wimbush got home, she blew up Carry for being so sly. "Well, mamma," said Carry, "of course I thought you knew all about it. I never made any secret of the affair. I knew very well that you had rejected Mr. Tom, but I could not possibly suppose that was any reason why I should refuse Charles. Of course he is older than I am, but he is only five-and-thirty, and has a good position; and I am sure we shall always give you a welcome; Charles said so." "Well," thought Mrs. Wimbush, "he has money, and it will be all in the family; that's at least a comfort." The effect of the little episode of the last chapter was that the brothers were made friends, and Tom recovered his spirits, and could laugh heartily at what he had before supposed was his brother's rivalry. Mrs. Wimbush repented her that she had rejected Mr. Tom. Her repentance produced a salutary desire on her part to make atonement for the past. She would have him yet. When a widow says so much as that about a man, let him 'ware hawk.