Thus attired, with a parting inspection of the spot, she swept downstairs, with as smart a bouquet as the season would afford.  As luck would have it, she encountered his lordship himself wandering about the passage in search of the drawing-room, of whose door he had not made a sufficient observation on leaving.  He too, was uncommonly smart, with the identical dress-coat Mr. Spraggon wore, a white waistcoat with turquoise buttons, a lace-frilled shirt, and a most extensive once-round Joinville.  He had been eminently successful in accomplishing a tie that would almost rival the sticks farmers put upon truant geese to prevent their getting through gaps or under gates.

Well, Miss Amelia having come to his lordship’s assistance, and eased him of his candle, now showed him into the drawing-room; and his hands being disengaged, like a true Englishman, he must be doing, and accordingly he commenced an attack on her bouquet.

‘That’s a fine nosegay!’ exclaimed he, staring and rubbing his snub nose into the midst of it.

‘Let me give you a piece,’ replied Amelia, proceeding to detach some of the best.

‘Do,’ replied his lordship, banging one hand against the other, adding, ‘I’ll wear it next my heart of hearts.’

In sidled Miss Emily just as his lordship was adjusting it in his button-hole, and the inconstant man immediately chopped over to her.

‘Well, now, that is a beautiful nosegay!’ exclaimed he, turning upon her in precisely the same way, with a bang of the hand and a dive of his nose into Emily’s.

She did not offer him any, and his lordship continued his attentions to her until Mrs. Jawleyford entered.

Dinner was presently announced; but his lordship, instead of choosing to sit with his back to the fire, took the single chair opposite, which gave him a commanding view of the young ladies.  He did not, however, take any advantage of his position during the repast, neither did he talk much, his maxim being to let his meat stop his mouth.  The preponderance of his observations, perhaps, were addressed to Amelia, though a watchful observer might have seen that the spectacles were oftener turned upon Emily.  Up to the withdrawal of the cloth, however, there was no perceptible advantage on either side.

[Illustration]

As his lordship settled to the sweets, at which he was a great hand at dessert, Amelia essayed to try her influence with the popular subject of a ball.  ‘I wish the members of your hunt would give us a ball, my lord,’ observed she.

‘Ah, hay, hum—­ball,’ replied he, ladling up the syrup of some preserved peaches that he had been eating; ’ball, ball, ball.  No place to give it—­no place to give it,’ repeated he.

‘Oh, give it in the town-hall, or the long room at the Angel,’ replied she.

’Town-hall—­long room at the Angel—­Angel at the long room of the town-hall—­oh, certainly, certainly, certainly,’ muttered he, scraping away at the contents of his plate.