‘Owen, you naughty boy, not to know me,’ the little thing continued, more naturally, running up to her brother, who took her, despite muslins, laces, and ribbons, almost up in his big arms, and kissed her.

’How you have rumpled me, Owen? did you ever see such a thing, Miss Simpson?’ she cried, half laughing, half in tears, as she smoothed down the point-lace sleeves and collar.

Just then a tall man entered, and Netta disengaging herself from Owen, who was on the point of kissing her again, and asking her what she had done to herself, simpered out an introduction between ’Captain Dancy and my brother, Captain Prothero.’

‘Not quite that yet,’ began Owen, anxious to disclaim the captaincy, when he was interrupted by the entrance of one or two other men, who were, in their turn, named to him as Sir Samuel Spendall and Mr Deep.  Owen did not like their appearance and looked towards his really lovely little sister, to see how she received them.  Her manners had a mixture of affectation and simplicity that was rather taking than otherwise.  And Owen wondered how Howel could leave one so young and pretty amongst three men of the world, which he soon discovered his new acquaintances to be.  True, Miss Simpson was with her, and in the middle of breakfast, to which, in due time, they sat down, another lady came upon the scene, by name Madame Duvet, who turned out to be the English widow of a Frenchman.  She was young, handsome, but over-bold for the taste of a man who was in love with Gladys.

She was at once taken with Owen’s handsome face, and talked to him incessantly, whilst Captain Dancy seated himself near Netta, and devoted himself to her much more closely than Owen liked.  However, he was very hungry, and managed to make a good breakfast.

He heard Netta telling Captain Dancy that her brother had been at sea all his life, and knew nothing of the fashionable world; at which he thought the ham he was eating would have choked him, in his effort to repress a laugh.  He longed very much to knock down one of the ‘Jeames’s,’ who would stand gazing at him, and did so far betray his indignation, as to ask him, when he came behind his chair, whether he saw anything remarkable in his appearance, which so amused Madame Duvet, that she exclaimed ‘Charmant! brava! you make me crever de rire.’

Owen was astonished at everything, but at nothing so much as at his sister.  Netta had always aped the fine lady, and made the most of her few accomplishments; but now it was all like a fairy-tale, and the heroine was Netta, transformed by some fairy into a princess.  By turns coquettish, affected, simple, languishing, accordingly as she feared she was too like her natural self—­the Netta of the Farm was no more, and her representative was, to Owen at least, an anomaly.  How she could have acquired such an amount of small talk, and such a mincing speech in nine months, was an enigma to him.  London, Paris, the opera, the fashions, even the picture galleries, were alternately in her mouth; and she poured out tea and coffee, and laughed a silly laugh, much to her own satisfaction, and Owen’s disgust, whilst all the men were looking at her; for assuredly she was very pretty.