Her eyes grew bigger and blacker as with her mental vision she glared upon the situation.

Presently she spoke, and her voice sounded as if she were in a great empty cask, with her mouth at the bunghole.
"Who did this ?" she asked.
Mrs.Tolbridge was glad to talk; it suited her much better at this time to do the talking than for her companion to do it, and she proceeded quite volubly.
"Oh, we all thought the change would be an excellent thing for them, especially for Mrs.Drane, who is not strong; and as they had seen Cobhurst and were charmed with the place, and as the Haverleys were quite willing to take them for a little while, it seemed an excellent thing all round.

It was, however, our cook, La Fleur, who was the chief mover in the matter.

She was very much opposed to their staying with Mrs.
Brinkly,--you see she had lived with them and has quite an affection for them,--and actually went so far as to talk of taking a house in the country and boarding them herself.

And you know, Miss Panney, how bad it would be for the doctor to lose La Fleur." "Did the doctor have anything to do with this ?" asked Miss Panney.
Now Mrs.Tolbridge did hesitate a little.
"Yes," she said, "he spoke to the Haverleys about it; he thought it would be an excellent thing for them." Miss Panney rose, with her face as hard as granite.