The flush on Miss Pritchett's face died away. It grew perfectly white with passion.
She turned round. Her companion had been walking some three yards behind them in a listless and dejected fashion, looking with greedy eyes at the allurements on every side, and answering the furtive greetings of various male friends with a pantomime, expressive of contempt, irritation, and hopeless bondage in equal parts.
Miss Pritchett stepped up to her, and caught hold of her arm. Her fingers went so deep into the flesh that the girl gasped and gave a half-smothered cry.
"Take me to the carriage," Miss Pritchett said. "Let me leave this place of Popery and light women!"
The obedient Gussie Davies turned and, in a moment or two, both women had disappeared.
Lucy sought her brother. She found him eating a large pink ice in company with a florid, good-humoured matron in maroon, with an avalanche of lace falling from the edges of her parasol. "Hallo, dear!" he said. "Let me introduce you to Mrs. Stiffe, Dr. Hibbert's sister. And where's Miss Pritchett?"
"She's gone," Lucy answered. "And, I'm very much afraid, in a towering rage. But really she was so insolent that I could _not_ stand it. I would do most things for you, Ber, but, really, that woman!"
"Well, it can't be helped, I suppose," the vicar said with humorous resignation. "It was bound to come sooner or later, and I'm selfish enough to be glad it's you've given me lady the _congé_ and not me. Mrs. Stiffe here knows her, don't you, Mrs. Stiffe?"
"I do, Mr. Blantyre," the stout lady said. "I've met the woman several times when I've been staying down here with my brother. A fearful old cat _I_ call her! I wonder that you put up with her so long!"
"Policy, Mrs. Stiffe--ye know we're all Jesuits here, the local paper says so in yesterday's issue--policy! You see, when I first came here Miss Pritchett came to church. She's a leading person here and I made no doubt others would follow her. Indeed, they did, too! and when they saw what the Catholic Church really was they stayed with us. And then, again, Miss Pritchett was always ready to give us a cheque for any good work, and we want all the money we can get! Oh, there's a lot of good in Miss Pritchett!"