She was thinking hard, and paying little attention to any of the objects that met her eyes, when she was suddenly pulled up short by a round and hearty voice, a fat hand was laid on her shoulder, and she found herself face to face with Mrs.Dredge.
"Well, my dear, how are you, Miss Mainwaring?
Oh, yes, I'm delighted to see you.

You did give us the slip, you and your pretty sisters.

I don't think Mrs.Flint quite liked it; we all questioned her, me, and Miss Slowcum, and Mrs.Mortlock, and we said, 'At any rate give us their address, Mrs.Flint--we take an interest in them--they are pretty-spoken young ladies, and they were a credit to the establishment.' But Mrs.Flint only frowned and bit her lips, and colored.

Then Mrs.Mortlock put her foot in it as far as Miss Slowcum was concerned, for she said 'I'm sorry the girls from the country have departed, and that they found us so disagreeable that they had to do it unbeknown and quiet, for it was a real pleasure for ancient females like ourselves to have young and bonny creatures about us.' "Miss Slowcum got very stiff at this, for she apes youth, my dear, in a way that's past belief, and Mrs.Mortlock had her little fling on purpose.

Well, dear, and how are you?
You look thin to what you were, and a bit pale.