"I did not know when I dressed this morning that the Bishop was coming to-day." "Then you _did_ know later that he was coming ?" "Yes, Rachel West wrote to tell me so this morning, but I did not open her letter at breakfast, and I was so vexed at being late for luncheon that I forgot to mention it then.

I remembered as soon as James had started, and ran after him, but he was too far off to hear me call to him." It cost Hester a good deal to give this explanation, as she was aware that the Bishop's visit had been to her and to her alone.
"Come, come," said Mr.Gresley, judicially, with the natural masculine abhorrence of a feminine skirmish.
"Don't go on making foolish excuses, Hester, which deceive no one; and you, Minna, don't criticise Hester's clothes.

It is the Bishop's own fault for not writing his notes himself.

He might have known that Miss West would have written to Hester instead of to me.

I can't say I think Hester behaved kindly towards us in acting as she did, but I won't hear any more argument about it.