my ladies were as ignorant of the reason for these unusual absences as i , and though speculations abounded , and mrs. harris made inquiries among some of her friends , nothing was discovered , save the useless fact , that on the previous evening they had all left the rooms together , and someone had overheard the graysons offering to share their carriage with mrs. smithton and her young relatives , as everyone knew mrs. smithton kept no horses , and was too mean to hire a chair , unless it was raining furiously enough to make one look about for an ark .