And naturally the Countess of Chell was the
person to open it, since without her it would never have existed.
The solemn day was a day in March, and the hour was fixed for three
o'clock, and the place was the large hall of the Institute itself,
behind Crown Square, which is the Trafalgar Square of Hanbridge. The
Countess was to drive over from Sneyd. Had the epoch been ten years
later she would have motored over. But probably that would not have made
any difference to what happened.
In relating what did happen, I confine myself to facts, eschewing
imputations. It is a truism that life is full of coincidences, but
whether these events comprised a coincidence, or not, each reader must
decide for himself, according to his cynicism or his faith in human
nature.
The facts are: First, that Denry called one day at the house of Mrs Kemp
a little lower down Brougham Street, Mrs Kemp being friendly with Mrs
Machin, and the mother of Jock, the Countess's carriage-footman, whom
Denry had known from boyhood. Second, that a few days later, when Jock
came over to see his mother, Denry was present, and that subsequently
Denry and Jock went for a stroll together in the cemetery, the principal
resort of strollers in Bursley.
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