chairmen, and so we might all arrive safely
at Over Place, a suburb of the town. (No.
That is too large an expression: a small
cluster of houses separated from Cranford by
about two hundred yards of a dark and lonely
lane).There was no doubt but that a similar
note was awaiting Miss Pole at home; so her
call was a very fortunate affair, as it enabled
us to consult together. We would all much
rather have declined this invitation; but we
felt that it would not be quite kind to Mrs.
Forrester, who would otherwise be left to a
solitary retrospect of her not very happy or
fortunate life. Miss Matey and Miss Pole
had been visitors on this occasion for many
years; and now they gallantly determined to
nail their colours to the mast, and to go
through Darkness Lane rather than fail in
loyalty to their friend.

But when the evening came, Miss Matey
(for it was she who was voted into the chair,
as she had a cold), before being shut down in
the sedan like jack-in-a-box, implored the
chairmen, whatever might befall, not to run
away and leave her fastened up there, to be
murdered; and even after they had promised,
I saw her tighten her features into the stern
determination of a martyr, and she gave me a
melancholy and ominous shake of the head
through the glass. However, we got there
safely, only rather out of breath, for it was
who could trot hardest through Darkness
Lane, and I am afraid poor Miss Matey was
sadly jolted.

Mrs. Forrester had made extra
preparations in acknowledgment of our exertion
in coming to see her through such dangers.
The usual forms of genteel ignorance as
to what her servants might send up were
all gone through; and harmony and
Preference seemed likely to be the order of the
evening, but for an interesting conversation
that began I don't know how, but which had
relation, of course, to the robbers who infested
the neighbourhood of Cranford. Having braved
the dangers of Darkness Lane, and thus
having a little stock of reputation for courage
to fall back upon; and also, I dare say,
desirous of proving ourselves superior to men
(videlicet Mr. Hoggins), in the article of
candour, we began to relate our individual fears,
and the private precautions we each of us
took. I owned that my pet apprehension was
eyes—eyes looking at me, and watching me,
glittering out from some dull flat woollen
surface; and that if I dared to go up to my
looking-glass when I was panic-stricken, I
should certainly turn it round, with its back
towards me, for fear of seeing eyes behind me
looking out of the darkness. I saw Miss Matey
nerving herself up for a confession; and at
last out it came. She owned that, ever since
she had been a girl, she had dreaded being
caught by her last leg, just as she was getting
into bed, by some one concealed under the bed.
She said, when she was younger and more
active, she used to take a flying leap from a
distance, and so bring both her legs up safely
into bed at once; but that this had always
annoyed Deborah, who piqued herself upon
getting into bed gracefully, and she had given
it up in consequence. But now the old terror
would often come over her, especially since
Miss Pole's house had been attacked (we had
got quite to believe in the fact of the attack
having taken place), and yet it was very
unpleasant to think of looking under a bed, and
seeing a man concealed, with a great fierce
face staring out at you; so she had bethought
herself of something—perhaps I had noticed
that she had told Martha to buy her a penny
ball, such as children play with—and now she
rolled this ball under the bed every night; if
it came out on the other side, well and good;
if not, she always took care to have her hand
on the bell-rope, and meant to call out John
and Harry, just as if she expected men-servants
to answer her ring.

We all applauded this ingenious contrivance,
and Miss Matey sank back into satisfied silence,
with a look at Mrs. Forrester as if to ask for
her private weakness.

Mrs. Forrester looked askance at Miss
Pole, and tried to change the subject a little,
by telling us that she had borrowed a boy
from one of the neighbouring cottages, and
promised his parents a hundredweight of coal
at Christmas, and his supper every evening,
for the loan of him at nights. She had
instructed him in his possible duties when
he first came; and, finding him sensible, she
had given him the major's sword (the major
was her late husband), and desired him to put
it very carefully behind his pillow at night,
turning the edge towards the head of the
pillow. He was a sharp lad, she was sure;
for, spying out the major's cocked hat, he
had said, if he might have that to wear he
was sure he could frighten two Englishmen,
or four Frenchmen, any day. But she had
impressed upon him anew that he was to
lose no time in putting on hats or anything
else; but, if he heard any noise, he was to run
at it with his drawn sword. On my suggesting
that some accident might occur from such
slaughterous and indiscriminate directions,
and that he might rush on Jenny getting up
to wash, and have spitted her before he had
discovered that she was not a Frenchman,
Mrs. Forrester said she did not think that
that was likely, for he was a very sound
sleeper, and generally had to be well shaken,
or cold-pigged in a morning before they
could rouse him. She sometimes thought
such dead sleep must be owing to the hearty
suppers the poor lad ate, for he was half-
starved at home, and she told Jenny to see
that he got a good meal at night.

Still this was no confession of Mrs.
Forrester's peculiar timidity, and we urged her
to tell us what she thought would frighten
her more than anything. She paused, and
stirred the fire, and snuffed the candles, and
then she said, in a sounding whisper,