"What did he say ?" she asked in a somewhat hurried manner, as soon as the door was closed--"I did not hear." We looked at each other, and then I spoke: "He said, my lady, that 'God help him! he was responsible for all the evil he did not strive to overcome.'" My lady turned sharp round away from us, and Mary Mason said afterwards she thought her ladyship was much vexed with both of us, for having been present, and with me for having repeated what Mr.Gray had said.

But it was not our fault that we were in the hall, and when my lady asked what Mr.Gray had said, I thought it right to tell her.
In a few minutes she bade us accompany her in her ride in the coach.
Lady Ludlow always sat forwards by herself, and we girls backwards.
Somehow this was a rule, which we never thought of questioning.

It was true that riding backwards made some of us feel very uncomfortable and faint; and to remedy this my lady always drove with both windows open, which occasionally gave her the rheumatism; but we always went on in the old way.

This day she did not pay any great attention to the road by which we were going, and Coachman took his own way.

We were very silent, as my lady did not speak, and looked very serious.