As soon as the meal was finished, he rose from his chair and moved slowly towards the door.
"You still intend to go by the----" "Hold your tongue!" snapped his aunt.

Whereupon Austin left the room without another word.

Then he stumped his way upstairs and was not seen again.

Aunt Charlotte, meanwhile, began preparations for her journey.

It was now close on nine o'clock, and she had to order the dinner, see that she had sufficient money for her expenses, choose a bonnet for travelling in, and look after half-a-dozen other important trifles before setting out to catch the railway omnibus at the Peacock.