He laughed, I remember, and shrugged his shoulders, and said there was no use denying anything to a woman, for she would have her way." "I see.

Then at the gasfitters' ball you met, as I understand, a gentleman called Mr.Hosmer Angel." "Yes, sir.

I met him that night, and he called next day to ask if we had got home all safe, and after that we met him--that is to say, Mr.Holmes, I met him twice for walks, but after that father came back again, and Mr.Hosmer Angel could not come to the house any more." "No ?" "Well, you know father didn't like anything of the sort.

He wouldn't have any visitors if he could help it, and he used to say that a woman should be happy in her own family circle.

But then, as I used to say to mother, a woman wants her own circle to begin with, and I had not got mine yet." "But how about Mr.Hosmer Angel?
Did he make no attempt to see you ?" "Well, father was going off to France again in a week, and Hosmer wrote and said that it would be safer and better not to see each other until he had gone.