Hugh
Clitheroe, rector of Millington.'"
"Clitheroe--Gubbins; what on earth has that to do with it? That would be
Mrs. Gubbins: this is Lady Meadowcroft."
"The same article, as the shopmen say--only under a different name. A
year or two later I read a notice in the Times that 'I, Ivor de Courcy
Meadowcroft, of The Laurels, Middleston, Mayor-elect of the Borough of
Middleston, hereby give notice, that I have this day discontinued the
use of the name Peter Gubbins, by which I was formerly known, and
have assumed in lieu thereof the style and title of Ivor de Courcy
Meadowcroft, by which I desire in future to be known.'
"A month or two later, again I happened to light upon a notice in
the Telegraph that the Prince of Wales had opened a new hospital for
incurables at Middleston, and that the Mayor, Mr. Ivor Meadowcroft, had
received an intimation of Her Majesty's intention of conferring upon him
the honour of knighthood. Now what do you make of it?"
"Putting two and two together," I answered, with my eye on our subject,
"and taking into consideration the lady's face and manner, I should
incline to suspect that she was the daughter of a poor parson, with
the usual large family in inverse proportion to his means.
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