‘So you told Mrs. Appleton?’ said Lily; ‘so that was the reason you were so obliging about the marking thread. Oh, Jane, you had better say no more about Mrs. Appleton! And has it done much mischief?’ ‘Oh! Mrs. Gage “pitched” into Robert, as Wat Greenwood would say, and the christening is off again.’ ‘Jane, this is frightful,’ said Lily; ‘I do not wonder that you are unhappy.’ ‘Well, I daresay it will all come right again,’ said Jane; ‘there will only be a little delay, papa and Robert will bring them to their senses in time.’ ‘Suppose the baby was to die,’ said Lily. ‘Oh, it will not die,’ said Jane, ‘a great fat healthy thing like that likely to die indeed!’ ‘I cannot make you out, Jane,’ said Lily. ‘If I had done such a thing, I do not think I could have a happy minute till it was set right.’ ‘Well, I told you I was very sorry,’ said Jane, ‘only I wish they would not all be so hard upon me. Robert owns that he should not have said such things if he did not wish them to be repeated.’ ‘Does he?’ cried Lily. ‘How exactly like Robert that is, to own himself in fault when he is obliged to blame others. Jane, how could you hear him say such things and not be overcome with shame? And then to turn it against him! Oh, Jane, I do not think I can talk to you any more.’ ‘I do not mean to say it was not very good of him,’ said Jane. ‘Good of him—what a word!’ cried Lily. ‘Well, good-night, I cannot bear to talk to you now. Shall I say anything for you downstairs?’ ‘Oh, tell papa and Robert I am very sorry,’ said Jane. ‘I shall not come down again, you may leave the lamp.’ On her way downstairs in the dark Lilias was led, by the example of her cousin, to reflect that she was not without some share in the mischief that had been done; the words which report imputed to Mr. Devereux were mostly her own or Jane’s. There was no want of candour in Lily, and as soon as she entered the drawing-room she went straight up to her father and cousin, and began, ‘Poor Jenny is very unhappy; she desired me to tell you how sorry she is. But I really believe that I did the mischief, Robert. It was I who said those foolish things that were repeated as if you had said them. It is a grievous affair, but who could have thought that we were doing so much harm?’ ‘Perhaps it may not do any,’ said Emily. ‘The Naylors have a great deal of good about them.’ ‘They must have more than I suppose, if they can endure what Robert is reported to have said of them,’ said Mr. Mohun. ‘What did you say, Robert,’ said Lily, ‘did you not tell them all was said by your foolish young cousins?’ ‘I agreed with you too much to venture on contradicting the report; you know I could not even deny having called Mrs. Gage by that name.’ ‘Oh, if I could do anything to mend it!’ cried Lily.