Mr. Chillip shook his head, stirred his negus, and sipped it.

“She was a charming woman, sir!” he observed in a plaintive manner.

“The present Mrs. Murdstone?”

“A charming woman indeed, sir,” said Mr. Chillip; “as amiable, I am sure, as it was possible to be! Mrs. Chillip’s opinion is, that her spirit has been entirely broken since her marriage, and that she is all but melancholy mad. And the ladies,” observed Mr. Chillip, timorously, “are great observers, sir.”