Page:Gissing - The Nether World, vol. III, 1889.djvu/235

Rh Jane’s arrival might put an end to it before everything was revealed.

“A mystery, you may well say, Mrs. Byass. I think highly of Mr. Kirkwood, very highly; but really in this affair! It’s almost too painful to talk about—to you”

Bessie blushed, as becomes the Englishwoman of mature years when she is gracefully supposed to be ignorant of all it most behoves her to know.

“Well, well; he is on the point of marrying a young person with whom I should certainly not like my daughter to associate,—fortunately there is little chance of that. You were never acquainted with Miss Hewett?”

“Ye—yes. A long time ago.”

“Well, well; we must be charitable. You know that she is dreadfully disfigured?”

“Disfigured? Jane didn’t say a word about that. She only told me that Mr. Kirkwood was going to marry her, and I didn’t like to ask too many questions. I hadn’t even heard as she was at home.”

Joseph related to her the whole story, whilst Bessie fidgeted with satisfaction.

“I thought,” he added, “that you could