“Attention, Mainwaring!  Eyes up to the ceiling, sir, and thank God!”

Mainwaring did so; but for the life of him could not help throwing a little comic spirit into the action, adding in an undertone that he wished to be heard.  “Ah, my dear Sam, how glad I am that you did not bid me go farther.  However, to proceed—­No, my dear Martha, ever since our most felicitous conjugation, I hardly know what the exemplary verb audio means.  I could scarcely translate it.  Ours is a truly grammatical union.  Not the nominative case with verb—­not the relative with the antecedent—­not the adjective with the substantive—­affords a more appropriate illustration of conjugal harmony, than does our matrimonial existence.  Peace and quietness, however, are on your tongue—­affection and charity in your heart—­benevolence in your hand, which is seldom extended empty to the pool—­and, altogether, you are worthy of the high honor to which,”—­this he added with a bit of good-natured irony—­“partly from motives of condescension, and partly, as I said, from motives of compassion, I have, in the fulness of a benevolent heart, exalted you.”  The toast was then drank.

“Attention, ladies!” said Sam, who had been looking, as before, from the young officer to Lucy, and vice versa—­“Mainwaring, attention!  Look upon these two—­upon Miss Gourlay, here, and upon Ned Roberts—­and tell me if you don’t think there’s a strong likeness.”

The attention of the others was instantly directed to an examination of the parties in question, and most certainly they were struck with the extraordinary resemblance.

“It is very remarkable, indeed, Mr. Roberts,” observed their hostess, looking at them again; “and what confirms it is the fact, that I noticed the circumstance almost as soon as Mr. Roberts joined us.  It is certainly very strange to find such a resemblance in persons not at all related.”

Lucy, on finding the eyes of her friends upon her, could not avoid blushing; nor was the young officer’s complexion without a somewhat deeper tinge.

“Now,” said Mrs. Mainwaring, smiling, “the question is, which we are to consider complimented by this extraordinary likeness.”

“The gentleman, of course, Mrs. Mainwaring,” replied Sam.

“Unquestionably,” said Edward, bowing to Lucy; “I never felt so much flattered in my life before, nor ever can again, unless by a similar comparison with the same fair object.”

Another blush on the part of Lucy followed this delicate compliment, and old Sam exclaimed: 

“Attention, Mainwaring! and you, ma’am,”—­addressing Mrs. Mainwaring.  “Now did you ever see brother and sister more like? eh!”

“Very seldom ever saw brother and sister so like,” replied Mainwaring.  “Indeed, it is most extraordinary.”

“Wonderful! upon my word,” exclaimed his wife.

“Hum!—­Well,” proceeded Sam, “it is, I believe, very odd—­very—­and may be not, either—­may be not so odd.  Ahem!—­and yet, still—­however, no matter, it’s all natural; all the heart of man—­eh!  Mainwaring?”