after a certain amount of parley at the door the matter ended in her being shown into the drawing-room, where she was soon joined by Mrs. Orme.
'I am Mrs. Furnival,' she began, and then Mrs. Orme begged her to sit down. 'I have come here to see Lady Mason—on some business—some business not of a very pleasant nature. I'm sure I don't know how to trouble you with it, and yet—' And then even Mrs. Orme could see that her visitor was somewhat confused.
'Is it about the trial?' asked Mrs. Orme.
'Then there is really a lawsuit going on?'
'A lawsuit!' said Mrs. Orme, rather puzzled.
'You said something about a trial. Now, Mrs. Orme, pray do not deceive me. I'm a very unhappy woman; I am indeed.'
'Deceive you! Why should I deceive you?'
'No, indeed. Why should you? And now I look at you I do not think you will.'
'Indeed I will not, Mrs. Furnival.'
'And there is really a lawsuit then?' Mrs. Furnival persisted in asking.
'I thought you would know all about it,' said Mrs. Orme, 'as Mr. Furnival manages Lady Mason's law business. I thought that perhaps it was about that that you had come.'
Then Mrs. Furnival explained that she knew nothing whatever about Lady Mason's affairs, that hitherto she had not believed that there was any trial or any lawsuit, and gradually explained the cause of all her trouble. She did not do this without sundry interruptions, caused both by her own feelings and by Mrs. Orme's exclamations. But at last it all came forth; and before she had done she was calling her husband Tom, and appealing to her listener for sympathy.
'But indeed it's a mistake, Mrs. Furnival. It is indeed. There are reasons which make me quite sure of it.' So spoke Mrs. Orme. How could Lady Mason have been in love with Mr. Furnival,—if such a state of things could be possible under any circumstances,—seeing that she had been engaged to marry Sir Peregrine? Mrs. Orme did not declare her reasons, but repeated with very positive assurances her knowledge that Mrs. Furnival was labouring under some very grievous error.
'But why should she always be at his chambers? I have seen her there twice, Mrs. Orme. I have indeed;—with my own eyes.'
Mrs. Orme would have thought nothing of it if Lady Mason had been seen there every day for a week together, and regarded Mrs. Furnival's suspicions as an hallucination bordering on insanity. A woman be in love with Mr. Furnival! A very pretty woman endeavour to entice away from his wife the affection of such a man as that! As these ideas passed through Mrs. Orme's
