At the beginning of this short colloquy Miss Tweddle, after growing very red and restless for some moments, had slipped out of the room, and came in now, trembling and out of breath, with a bonnet in her hand and a cloak over her arm. "Miss Parkinson," she said, speaking very rapidly, "when I asked you to come here with my good friend and former lodger, I little thought that anything but friendship would come of it; and sorry I am that it has turned out otherwise. And my feelings to Mr. Jauncy are the same as ever; but--this is your bonnet, Miss Parkinson, and your cloak. And this is my house; and I shall be obliged if you'll kindly put on the ones, and walk out of the other at once!" Bella burst into tears, and demanded from Mr. Jauncy why he had brought her there to be insulted. "You brought it all on yourself," he said, gloomily; "you should have behaved!" "What have I done," cried Bella, "to be told to go, as if I wasn't fit to stay?" "I'll tell you what you've done," said Miss Tweddle. "You were asked here with Mr. Jauncy to meet my dear Leandy and his young lady, and get all four of you to know one another, and lay foundations for Friendship's flowery bonds. And from the moment you came in, though I paid no attention to it at first, you've done nothing but insinuate and hint, and try all you could to set my dear Miss Collum and her ma against my poor unoffending nephew; and I won't sit by any longer and hear it. Put on your bonnet and cloak, Miss Parkinson, and Mr. Jauncy (who knows I don't bear him any ill-feeling, whatever happens) will go home with you." "I've said nothing," repeated Bella, "but what I'd a right to say, and what I'll stand to." "If you don't put on those things," said Jauncy, "I shall go away myself, and leave you to follow as best you can." "I'm putting them on," said Bella; and her hands were unsteady with passion as she tied her bonnet-strings. "Don't bully _me_, James, because I won't bear it! Mr. Tweddle, if you're a man, will you sit there and tell me you don't know that that ring is on a certain person's finger? Will you do that?" [Illustration: HER HANDS WERE UNSTEADY WITH PASSION AS SHE TIED HER BONNET-STRINGS.] The miserable man concluded that Ada had disregarded his entreaties, and told her sister all about the ring and the accursed statue. He could not see why the story should have so inflamed Bella; but her temper was always uncertain. Everybody was looking at him, and he was expected to say something. His main idea was, that he would see how much Bella knew before committing himself. "What have I ever done to offend you," he asked, "that you turn on me in this downright vixenish manner? I scorn to reply to your insinuations!"