That's why I ain't quite myself--see ?' Mrs.Peckover was not wont to be gossippy.

She became so at present, partly in consequence of the stimulants she had taken to support her through a trying ceremony, partly as a means of obtaining time to reflect.

Jane's unlucky illness made an especial difficulty in her calculations.

She felt that the longer she delayed mention of the fact, the more likely was she to excite suspicion; on the other hand, she could not devise the suitable terms in which to reveal it.

The steady gaze of the old man was disconcerting.