CHAPTER XXXII.
The Babington Wedding It is your duty,--especially your duty,--to separate them.' This was said by Mr.Smirkie, the vicar of Plum-cum-Pippin, to Mr.Bromley, the rector of Utterden, and the words were spoken in the park at Babington where the two clergymen were taking a walk together.

Mr.Smirkie's first wife had been a Miss Bromley, a sister of the clergyman at Utterden; and as Julia Babington was anxious to take to her bosom all her future husband's past belongings, Mr.Bromley had been invited to Babington.

It might be that Aunt Polly was at this time well inclined to exercise her hospitality in this direction by a feeling that Mr.
Bromley would be able to talk to them about this terrible affair.

Mr.
Bromley was intimate with John Caldigate, and of course would know all about it.

There was naturally in Aunt Polly's heart a certain amount of self-congratulation at the way in which things were going.