walk up and down the room, glancing up from time to time at his wife who
was lifting one after another the ornaments which stood upon the
chimney-piece, in order to ascertain whether Susan had dusted underneath
them. She had many ways of assuring herself that people did their work
properly.

"No," said she, "you cannot send her back the money. But it is a very
solemn responsibility. I hope we are doing quite right."

"I certainly would not hesitate to return the cheque, my dear, if I
thought any harm would come of Mrs. Goddard's living here. But I don't
think there is any reason to doubt her story."

"Of course not. It was in the _Standard_, so there is no doubt about it.
I only hope no one else reads the papers here."

"They read them in the kitchen," added Mrs. Ambrose presently, "and they
probably take a paper at the Duke's Head. Mr. Boosey is rather a literary
character."

"Nobody will suppose it was that Goddard, my dear," said the vicar in a
reassuring tone of voice.

"No--you had better write about the cottage."

"I will," said the vicar; and he forthwith did. And moreover, with his
usual willingness to give himself trouble for other people, he took a
vast deal of pains to see that the cottage was really habitable. It
turned out to be in very good condition. It was a pretty place enough,
standing ten yards back from the road, beyond the village, just opposite