Wɖ mor ɖn yźl īgrnis dd Caʈrin hesn t ɖ pumprūm ɖ nxt de, s’kr wɖn hrslf v siyñ Mr Tilni ɖr bfr ɖ mornñ wr ovr, n redi t mīt him wɖ a smîl; bt no smîl wz dmandd—Mr Tilni dd nt apir. Evri crīćr in Baʈ, xpt himslf, wz t b sìn in ɖ rūm at difṛnt periods v ɖ faśṇbl aurz; crǎdz v ppl wr evri momnt pasñ in n ǎt, p ɖ steps n dǎn; ppl hūm nbdi cerd abt, n nbdi wontd t si; n h onli wz absnt. “Ẃt a dlîtfl ples Baʈ z,” sd Msz Aḷn az ɖe sat dǎn nir ɖ gret cloc, aftr p’redñ ɖ rūm tl ɖe wr tîrd; “n hǎ pleznt it wd b f w hd eni aqentns hir.”
Ɖs sntimnt hd bn utrd so ofn in ven ɖt Msz Aḷn hd no ptiklr rīzn t hop it wd b foloud wɖ mor advantij nǎ; bt w r tld t “dsper v nʈñ w wd aten,” az “unwirid diḷjns ǎr pônt wd gen”; n ɖ unwirid diḷjns wɖ ẃć ś hd evri de wśt fr ɖ sem ʈñ wz at leñʈ t hv its just rword, fr hardli hd ś bn sītd ten minits bfr a ledi v abt hr ǒn ej, hu wz sitñ bî hr, n hd bn lcñ at hr atntivli fr sevṛl minits, adrest hr wɖ gret cmplesns in ɖz wrdz: “I ʈnc, madm, I canot b mstecn; it z a loñ tîm sins I hd ɖ pleźr v siyñ y, bt z nt yr nem Aḷn?” Ɖs qsćn ansrd, az it reḍli wz, ɖ strenjr pṛnǎnst hrz t b Ʈorp; n Msz Aḷn imījtli recgnîzd ɖ fīćrz v a formr scūlfelo n intiṃt, hūm ś hd sìn onli wns sins ɖer rspctiv maṛjz, n ɖt mni yirz ago. Ɖer jô on ɖs mītñ wz vri gret, az wel it mt, sins ɖe hd bn cntntd t nǒ nʈñ v ć uɖr fr ɖ last fiftīn yirz. Complimnts on gd lcs nǎ pást; n, aftr obzrvñ hǎ tîm hd slipt awe sins ɖe wr last tgɖr, hǎ litl ɖe hd ʈt v mītñ in Baʈ, n ẃt a pleźr it wz t si an old frend, ɖe pṛsidd t mc inqîriz n gv intelijns az t ɖer faṃliz, sistrz, n cuznz, tōcñ bʈ tgɖr, far mor redi t gv ɖn t rsiv inf̣meśn, n ć hírñ vri litl v ẃt ɖ uɖr sd. Msz Ʈorp, hvr, hd wn gret advantij az a tōcr, ovr Msz Aḷn, in a faṃli v ćildṛn; n ẃn ś xpeśietd on ɖ taḷnts v hr sunz, n ɖ byti v hr dōtrz, ẃn ś rletd ɖer difṛnt sićueśnz n vyz—ɖt Jon wz at Oxfd, Edẉd at Mrćnt Teilrz’, n Wiłm at sì—n ol v ɖm mor b’luvid n rspctd in ɖer difṛnt steśn ɖn eni uɖr ʈri biyñz evr wr, Msz Aḷn hd no similr inf̣meśn t gv, no similr trîumfs t pres on ɖ unwilñ n unḅlivñ ir v hr frend, n wz forst t sit n apir t lisn t ol ɖz mtrnl ifyźnz, cnsolñ hrslf, hvr, wɖ ɖ dscuṿri, ẃć hr cīn î sn md, ɖt ɖ lês on Msz Ʈorp’s p’lìs wz nt haf so hansm az ɖt on hr ǒn.
“Hir cm mî dir grlz,” craid Msz Ʈorp, pôntñ at ʈri smart-lcñ fīmelz hu, arm in arm, wr ɖen muvñ twdz hr. “Mî dir Msz Aḷn, I loñ t intṛdys ɖm; ɖe wl b so dlîtd t si y: ɖ tōlist z Iẓbela, mî eldist; z nt ś a fîn yuñ wmn? Ɖ uɖrz r vri mć admîrd tù, bt I b’liv Iẓbela z ɖ hanṣmist.”
Ɖ Mis Ʈorps wr intṛdyst; n Mis Morḷnd, hu hd bn fr a śort tîm fgotn, wz intṛdyst lîcwz. Ɖ nem sīmd t strîc ɖm ol; n, aftr spīcñ t hr wɖ gret sviḷti, ɖ eldist yuñ ledi obzrvd alǎd t ɖ rest, “Hǎ xesvli lîc hr bruɖr Mis Morḷnd z!”
“Ɖ vri picćr v him indd!” craid ɖ muɖr—n “I śd hv noun hr enẃr fr hiz sistr!” wz rpitd bî ɖm ol, tū or ʈri tîmz ovr. Fr a momnt Caʈrin wz s’prîzd; bt Msz Ʈorp n hr dōtrz hd scersli bgun ɖ hisṭri v ɖer aqentns wɖ Mr Jemz Morḷnd, bfr ś rmembrd ɖt hr eldist bruɖr hd letli formd an intiṃsi wɖ a yuñ man v hiz ǒn colij, v ɖ nem v Ʈorp; n ɖt h hd spent ɖ last wīc v ɖ Crisṃs vceśn wɖ hiz faṃli, nir Lundn.
Ɖ hol biyñ xplend, mni oblîjñ ʈñz wr sd bî ɖ Mis Ʈorps v ɖer wś v biyñ betr aqentd wɖ hr; v biyñ cnsidrd az olrdi frendz, ʈru ɖ frendśp v ɖer bruɖrz, ets., ẃć Caʈrin hŕd wɖ pleźr, n ansrd wɖ ol ɖ priti xpreśnz ś cd cmand; n, az ɖ frst prūf v aṃti, ś wz sn invîtd t axpt an arm v ɖ eldist Mis Ʈorp, n tec a trn wɖ hr abt ɖ rūm. Caʈrin wz dlîtd wɖ ɖs xtnśn v hr Baʈ aqentns, n olmst fgot Mr Tilni ẃl ś tōct t Mis Ʈorp. Frendśp z srtnli ɖ fînist bām fr ɖ pañz v dis’pôntd luv.
Ɖer convseśn trnd upn ɖoz subjicts, v ẃć ɖ fri dscuśn hz jenṛli mć t d in pfctñ a sudn intiṃsi btwn tū yuñ lediz: sć az dres, bōlz, flrteśnz, n qizz. Mis Ʈorp, hvr, biyñ for yirz oldr ɖn Mis Morḷnd, n at līst for yirz betr informd, hd a vri dsîdd advantij in dscusñ sć pônts; ś cd cmper ɖ bōlz v Baʈ wɖ ɖoz v Tunbrij, its faśnz wɖ ɖ faśnz v Lundn; cd recṭfî ɖ opińnz v hr ny frend in mni articlz v testfl atîr; cd dscuvr a flrteśn btwn eni jntlmn n ledi hu onli smîld on ć uɖr; n pônt ǎt a qiz ʈru ɖ ʈicnis v a crǎd. Ɖz pǎrz rsivd dy adṃreśn fṛm Caʈrin, t hūm ɖe wr intîrli ny; n ɖ rspct ẃć ɖe naćṛli inspîrd mt hv bn tù gret fr fmiliaṛti, hd nt ɖ īzi geyti v Mis Ʈorp’s manrz, n hr frīqnt xpreśnz v dlît on ɖs aqentns wɖ hr, sofnd dǎn evri fīlñ v ō, n left nʈñ bt tndr afx́n. Ɖer incrisñ ataćmnt wz nt t b saṭsfaid wɖ haf a duzn trnz in ɖ pumprūm, bt rqîrd, ẃn ɖe ol qitd it tgɖr, ɖt Mis Ʈorp śd acumṗni Mis Morḷnd t ɖ vri dor v Mr Aḷn’z hǎs; n ɖt ɖe śd ɖr part wɖ a most afx́ṇt n leñʈnd śec v handz, aftr lrnñ, t ɖer ḿćl rlif, ɖt ɖe śd si ć uɖr acrs ɖ ʈiytr at nît, n se ɖer prerz in ɖ sem ćapl ɖ nxt mornñ. Caʈrin ɖen ran d’recli upsterz, n woćt Mis Ʈorp’s progres dǎn ɖ strīt fṛm ɖ drw̃rūm windo; admîrd ɖ gresfl spirit v hr wōc, ɖ faśṇbl er v hr figr n dres; n flt gretfl, az wel ś mt, fr ɖ ćans ẃć hd pṛkrd hr sć a frend.
Msz Ʈorp wz a wido, n nt a vri rić wn; ś wz a gd-hymrd, wel-mīnñ wmn, n a vri induljnt muɖr. Hr eldist dōtr hd gret prsnl byti, n ɖ yungr wnz, bî pritndñ t b az hansm az ɖer sistr, iṃtetñ hr er, n dresñ in ɖ sem stîl, dd vri wel.
Ɖs brīf acǎnt v ɖ faṃli z intndd t sūṗsid ɖ nseṣti v a loñ n mînyt dītel fṛm Msz Ʈorp hrslf, v hr past advnćrz n suf̣rñz, ẃć mt uɖwz b xpctd t okpî ɖ ʈri or for folowñ ćaptrz; in ẃć ɖ wrʈlisnis v lordz n atrniz mt b set fʈ, n convseśnz, ẃć hd pást twenti yirz bfr, b mînytli rpitd.
