On this afternoon she walked quickly, and without being herself aware
of it she presently found herself in the neighborhood of Regent's
Park, and at last not very far from Penelope Mansion. She was thinking
hard, and paying little attention to any of the objects that met her
eyes, when she was suddenly pulled up short by a round and hearty
voice, a fat hand was laid on her shoulder, and she found herself face
to face with Mrs. Dredge.
"Well, my dear, how are you, Miss Mainwaring? Oh, yes, I'm delighted
to see you. You did give us the slip, you and your pretty sisters. I
don't think Mrs. Flint quite liked it; we all questioned her, me, and
Miss Slowcum, and Mrs. Mortlock, and we said, 'At any rate give us
their address, Mrs. Flint--we take an interest in them--they are
pretty-spoken young ladies, and they were a credit to the
establishment.' But Mrs. Flint only frowned and bit her lips, and
colored. Then Mrs. Mortlock put her foot in it as far as Miss Slowcum
was concerned, for she said 'I'm sorry the girls from the country have
departed, and that they found us so disagreeable that they had to do
it unbeknown and quiet, for it was a real pleasure for ancient females
like ourselves to have young and bonny creatures about us.
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