They had regarded her marriage with disfavour, as an act of foolhardiness--I even think they looked on her attitude as unmaidenly; and now in her frozen widowhood they fretted her past endurance.

On the night when the news came they sent for the vicar of their parish--not my good friend who christened Hosea--a very worthy, very serious, very evangelistically religious fellow, to administer spiritual consolation.

If Betty had sat devoutly under him on Sundays, there might have been some reason in the summons.
But Betty, holding her own religious views, had only once been inside the church--on the occasion of her wedding--and had but the most formal acquaintance with the good man....

No, I could not send Betty home, unexpectedly, to have her wounds mauled about by unskilful fingers.
Nothing remained but to telephone to the hospital and put her in Mrs.
Marigold's charge for the night.

So broken was my dear Betty, that she allowed herself to be carried off without a word....