And to preserve her pride intact she led Mr. Mardon to think that Constance was in a most serious way, whereas in truth Constance had nothing worse than her sciatica, and even that was somewhat better.
Thus she yielded.
CHAPTER II
THE MEETING
I
Soon after dinner one day in the following spring, Mr. Critchlow knocked at Constance's door.
She was seated in the rocking-chair in front of the fire in the parlour.
She wore a large 'rough' apron, and with the outlying parts of the apron she was rubbing the moisture out of the coat of a young wire-haired fox-terrier, for whom no more original name had been found than 'Spot.'
It is true that he had a spot.
Constance had more than once called the world to witness that she would never have a young dog again, because, as she said, she could not be always running about after them, and they ate the stuffing out of the furniture.
But her last dog had lived too long; a dog can do worse things than eat furniture; and, in her natural reaction against age in dogs, and also in the hope of postponing as long as possible the inevitable sorrow and upset which death causes when it takes off a domestic pet, she had not known how to refuse the very desirable fox- terrier aged ten months that an acquaintance had offered to her.
Spot's beautiful pink skin could be seen under his disturbed hair; he was exquisitely soft to the touch, and to himself he was loathsome.
His eyes continually peeped forth between corners of the agitated towel, and they were full of inquietude and shame.
Amy was assisting at this performance, gravely on the watch to see that Spot did not escape into the coal-cellar.
She opened the door to Mr. Critchlow's knock.
Mr. Critchlow entered without any formalities, as usual.
He did not seem to have changed.
He had the same quantity of white hair, he wore the same long white apron, and his voice (which showed however an occasional tendency to shrillness) had the same grating quality.
He stood fairly straight.
He was carrying a newspaper in his vellum hand.
"Well, missis!" he said.
"That will do, thank you, Amy," said Constance, quietly.
Amy went slowly.
"So ye're washing him for her!" said Mr. Critchlow.
"Yes," Constance admitted.
Spot glanced sharply at the aged man.
"An' ye seen this bit in the paper about Sophia?" he asked, holding the Signal for her inspection.
"About Sophia?" cried Constance.
"What's amiss?"
"Nothing's amiss.
But they've got it.
It's in the
'Staffordshire day by day' column.
Here!
I'll read it ye."
He drew a long wooden spectacle-case from his waistcoat pocket, and placed a second pair of spectacles on his nose.
Then he sat down on the sofa, his knees sticking out pointedly, and read: "'We understand that Mrs. Sophia Scales, proprietress of the famous Pension Frensham in the Rue Lord Byron, Paris'--it's that famous that nobody in th' Five Towns has ever heard of it--'is about to pay a visit to her native town, Bursley, after an absence of over thirty years.
Mrs. Scales belonged to the well-known and highly respected family of Baines.
She has recently disposed of the Pension Frensham to a limited company, and we are betraying no secret in stating that the price paid ran well into five figures.'
So ye see!" Mr. Critchlow commented.
"How do those Signal people find out things?" Constance murmured.
"Eh, bless ye, I don't know," said Mr. Critchlow.
This was an untruth.
Mr. Critchlow had himself given the information to the new editor of the Signal, who had soon been made aware of Critchlow's passion for the press, and who knew how to make use of it.
"I wish it hadn't appeared just to-day," said Constance.
"Why?"
"Oh! I don't know, I wish it hadn't."
"Well, I'll be touring on, missis," said Mr. Critchlow, meaning that he would go.
He left the paper, and descended the steps with senile deliberation.
It was characteristic that he had shown no curiosity whatever as to the details of Sophia's arrival.