Devereux proceeded without attending to her, 'As I came down the
hill from the club-dinner, old Mrs. Gage came out of Naylor's house,
and her daughter with her, in great anger, calling me to account for
having spoken of her in a most unbecoming way, calling her the sour
Gage, and trying to set the Squire against them.'
'Oh, that abominable chattering woman!' Jane exclaimed; 'and Betsy
Wall too, I saw her all alive about something. What a nuisance such
people are!'
'In short,' said Mr. Devereux, 'I heard an exaggerated account of all
that passed here on the subject the other day. Now, Jane, am I doing
you any injustice in thinking that it must have been through you that
this history went abroad into the village?'
'Well,' said Jane, 'I am sure you never told us that it was any
secret. When a story is openly told to half a dozen people they
cannot be expected to keep it to themselves.'
'I spoke uncharitably and incautiously,' said he, 'I am willing to
confess, but it is nevertheless my duty to set before you the great
matter that this little fire has kindled.'
'Why, it cannot have done any great harm, can it?' asked Jane, the
agitation of her voice and laugh betraying that she was not quite so
careless as she wished to appear.
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