If Penelope was to be believed, Mr.Franklin had seized the opportunity of the reconciliation to make an offer to Miss Rachel, and had neither been accepted nor refused.

My girl was sure (from signs and tokens which I need not trouble you with) that her young mistress had fought Mr.Franklin off by declining to believe that he was in earnest, and had then secretly regretted treating him in that way afterwards.

Though Penelope was admitted to more familiarity with her young mistress than maids generally are--for the two had been almost brought up together as children--still I knew Miss Rachel's reserved character too well to believe that she would show her mind to anybody in this way.

What my daughter told me, on the present occasion, was, as I suspected, more what she wished than what she really knew.
On the nineteenth another event happened.

We had the doctor in the house professionally.