It may
be that the police discovered some of the sources of her income; at any
rate the sweetshop was suddenly, one morning, abandoned. Her movements
in everything were sudden; it was quite suddenly that she took a fancy
to Mrs. Slater. She met her at a friend's, and at once, so she told Mrs.
Slater, "I liked yer, just as though I'd met yer before. But I'm like
that. Sudden or not at all is _my_ way, and not a bad way either!"
Mrs. Slater could not be said to be everything that was affectionate in
return. She distrusted Mrs. Carter, disliked her brilliant colouring and
her fluent experiences, felt shy before her rollicking suggestiveness,
and timid at her innuendoes. For a considerable time she held her
defences against the insidious attack. Then there came a day when Mrs.
Carter burst into reluctant but passionate tears, asserting that Life
and Mr. Carter had been, from the beginning, against her; that she had
committed, indeed, acts of folly in the past, but only when driven
desperately against a wall; that she bore no grudge against any one
alive, but loved all humanity; that she was going to do her best to be a
better woman, but couldn't really hope to arrive at any satisfactory
improvement without Mrs.
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