While this greeting was going forward, Mr. Bridmain, and Jet the spaniel, looked on with the air of actors who had no idea of by-play.  Mr. Bridmain, a stiff and rather thick-set man, gave his welcome with a laboured cordiality.  It was astonishing how very little he resembled his beautiful sister.

For the Countess Czerlaski was undeniably beautiful.  As she seated herself by Mrs. Barton on the sofa, Milly’s eyes, indeed, rested—­must it be confessed?—­chiefly on the details of the tasteful dress, the rich silk of a pinkish lilac hue (the Countess always wore delicate colours in an evening), the black lace pelerine, and the black lace veil falling at the back of the small closely-braided head.  For Milly had one weakness—­don’t love her any the less for it, it was a pretty woman’s weakness—­she was fond of dress; and often, when she was making up her own economical millinery, she had romantic visions how nice it would be to put on really handsome stylish things—­to have very stiff balloon sleeves, for example, without which a woman’s dress was nought in those days.  You and I, too, reader, have our weakness, have we not? which makes us think foolish things now and then.  Perhaps it may lie in an excessive admiration for small hands and feet, a tall lithe figure, large dark eyes, and dark silken braided hair.  All these the Countess possessed, and she had, moreover, a delicately-formed nose, the least bit curved, and a clear brunette complexion.  Her mouth it must be admitted, receded too much from her nose and chin and to a prophetic eye threatened ‘nut-crackers’ in advanced age.  But by the light of fire and wax candles that age seemed very far off indeed, and you would have said that the Countess was not more than thirty.

Look at the two women on the sofa together!  The large, fair, mild-eyed Milly is timid even in friendship:  it is not easy to her to speak of the affection of which her heart is full.  The lithe, dark, thin-lipped Countess is racking her small brain for caressing words and charming exaggerations.

‘And how are all the cherubs at home?’ said the Countess, stooping to pick up Jet, and without waiting for an answer.  ’I have been kept in-doors by a cold ever since Sunday, or I should not have rested without seeing you.  What have you done with those wretched singers, Mr. Barton?’

’O, we have got a new choir together, which will go on very well with a little practice.  I was quite determined that the old set of singers should be dismissed.  I had given orders that they should not sing the wedding psalm, as they call it, again, to make a new-married couple look ridiculous, and they sang it in defiance of me.  I could put them into the Ecclesiastical Court, if I chose for to do so, for lifting up their voices in church in opposition to the clergyman.’

‘And a most wholesome discipline that would be,’ said the Countess, ’indeed, you are too patient and forbearing, Mr. Barton.  For my part, I lose my temper when I see how far you are from being appreciated in that miserable Shepperton.’