of course, to the entertainment, accompanied by her niece; t

ore it had gone very far, Marian Almond came up

great desire to make our heroine's acquaintance, an

with a very small figure and a very big sash, to the

the company, shaking her fan, saying that with so man

cousin, to whom she administered a tap wit

was given to enjoying Marian's ease of manner and flow of idea

eople were presented to her, in catching his name, which app

fficult moment, and she wondered that some people--her new acqua

say, and what would be the cons

at present were

barrassment, began to talk with an easy

delightf

charmin

nterestin

ty girl you

ndity, Mr. Townsend seemed to offer for what they w

aight into Ca

nd he, as if he expected no particular reply, went on to say

ous of no embarrassment; it seemed proper that he

as so handsome, or rather, as she

gan again; and then he asked her, with a deeper, intenser

y than it had ever done before, that this was a singular place for a gentleman's arm to be--and in a moment he was guiding her round the room

ooked at the flowers that

again, and she hesitated to answ

zy?" he asked, in a t

t him; he was certainly be

ly knew why, for dancing

" said Mr. Townsend, "we

a good pla

ng place; a little sofa that se

ber, and people stood close in front of them, turning their backs,

g man had said; but he s

like young men in pictures; Catherine had never seen such features--so delicate, so chiselled and finished--among the yo

ght he looked

e that, and, above all, would n

e felt very much like a stranger; and it was

near; several times removed-- and Arthur h

a great strang

e; but he had not been

and living in far-away lands; he had

y pleasant, only

ne with his delightful gaze, while he leaned forward obli

d ever forget him; but though she made this reflexion she kep

there for

very

them; he tried to guess who some of them we

ery freely, in a pos

ny one--especially any youn

y, on the stage, close before the footlights, looking at the audience, and

not like an actor; he see

ugh the crowd, with a little ironical cry, when she found these young people stil

e were already married, and he had become her cousin--to run away to her moth

therine as he left her, and Catherin

r by the arm, and

you think of Morris!"

at his

nk of his name, but what you

herine answered, dissembling

nd to tell him th

l do hi

erribly c

said Cather

, and Arthur kn

im!" Catherine mu

l him he's

him so a d

Catherine looked down at her

took so much on herself; but she wondered too, whether, when she h

ure of a window, with her head a little on one side, and her gold

, bending forward a little, wit

it; for when he had left her, at Marian's instigation,

er ear for the last half-hour-- Morris Townsend was giving his impressions of the company to her aunt, as he

is she moved away; she would not have

r pleasure--th

she herself had been the object of his civilities; and that Aunt Lavinia should like him, should not be shocked or startled by what he said, this also appeared to the girl a personal gain

nvited our heroine to dance a quadrille, and for a

not dizzy; her h

r. Sloper had usually a little smile, never a very big one, and with his little smile playin

his magnificent person

so; but it is a literal fact that he almost never

r pleasure; but she had to cut her p

o delicate for her own use; and yet Catherine, lamenting the limitations of her understanding, felt that they were too val

said mildly, wishing that

opulent, expensive,"

you had eighty t

haven't--" said Ca

prospective wealth was

en't you shouldn't

enjoyed y

and then, looking away, "I a

nment was the beginning of som

direct answer; and the beginning of a period o

not so easily

they drove home, she was as quiet

r Lavinia had a good deal of resemblance to

hat was making love to y

!" murmured Mrs. Pen

d uncommo

, for half an hour, he h

s not to me," sa

erine; he talke

een listening w

iman!" she exc

he expressed himself with a great deal--a

egal creature, then?" the

still more faintly, devoutly t

hat; but he adm

My dress only?" Mrs. Penniman's announcement st

er, "he thinks you have

s of that," said Mrs. Pen

dously refined not

herine exclaimed,

gone to sleep," h

come!" he ad

to get up a roma

s on the girl. What is the gent

it, and I didn't

. Penniman, with a certain grandeur; "but

n was Mr

, what was the g

for the rumbling of the carriage,

Lavinia," said Cat

s irony, her fat