"I did so hope we should escape another widow." She had hoped for a nice, well-to-do couple, with at least one grown-up son preferably connected, in some way, with the stage.
Dolly Tosswill, still standing, looked down at her audience.
"She's quite unlike what I thought she would be," she began.

"For one thing, she's quite young, and she's awfully pretty and unusual-looking.
You'd notice her anywhere." "Did you meet her in the post-office ?" asked Betty.
"No, at church.

She only arrived this morning, and she said she felt so lonely and miserable that when she heard the bell ring she thought she'd go along and see what our church was like." "Oh, then she's 'pi' ?" in a tone of disgust from Rosamund.
"I'd noticed her in church, though she was sitting rather back, close to the door," went on Dolly, "and I'd wondered who she was, as she looked so very unlike any of the Beechfield people." "How do you mean--unlike ?" asked Tom.
"I can't explain exactly.

I thought she was a summer visitor.

And then something so funny happened--" Dolly was sitting down now, and Betty handed her a cup of tea, grieving the while to see how untidy she looked with her hat tilted back at an unbecoming angle.
"What happened ?" "Well, as we came out of the church together, all at once that old, half-blind, post-office dog made straight for her! He gave a most awful howl, and she was so frightened that she ran back into the church again.
But of course I didn't know she was Mrs.Crofton _then_.