Arabella Clinker was not sufficiently acquainted with the habits of its inmates to appreciate the unparalleled upheaval this dislodgment meant, but she saw that her informant was highly surprised and impressed.
"I expect the poor old gentry felt too lonely to stop, once that dear Miss Halcyone was gone," Mrs.Porrit said, "but there, when I heard it you could have knocked me down with a feather!--them to go to the sea!" All this looked hopeless as far as communicating with Halcyone went--unless through a letter to the Professor.

Arabella returned to Wendover rather cast down.
She had been reasoning with herself severely over a point, and when her letter went to her mother on the next Sunday, she was still undecided as to what was her course of duty, and craved her parent's advice.
The case is this [she wrote].

Being quite aware of M.E.'s intentions, am I being disloyal to her, in helping to frustrate them by aiding Mr.Derringham to establish communications with the person whom I have already vaguely hinted to you I believe he is interested in?
I do not feel it is altogether honorable to take my salary from M.E.and to go against what I know to be the strong desire of her life at the present time.

On the other hand, my feelings of humanity are appealed to by Mr.Derringham's weakness, and by the very poor chance he will have of escaping M.E.when she begins her attack during his convalescence.

I have felt more easy in conscience hitherto because I have merely stood aside, not aided the adversary, but now there is a parting of the ways and I am greatly disturbed.