The day after she had been so ignominiously expelled from John Liddell’s house she put on the prettiest thing she possessed in the way of a bonnet—­a contrivance of black lace and violets—­and having inspected the turn-out of the children’s maid in her best go-to-meeting attire, also the putting on of the boys’ newest sailor suits, the curling of their hair, and many minor details, she sallied forth across Kensington Gardens to the ride, feeling tolerably sure that, in consequence of a hint she had dropped a day or two before, when taking afternoon tea in Mrs. Burnett’s drawing-room, Colonel Ormonde would probably be amongst the riders on his powerful chestnut, ready to receive her report.  She was quite sure he was very much smitten, and eager to know what her chances with old Liddell might be; and as her mother-in-law had a bad habit of presiding over her own tea-table, it would be more convenient to talk with her gay Lothario in the Park.

Many admiring glances were cast upon the pretty little woman in becoming half-mourning, with the two golden-haired, sweet-looking children and their trim maid, which did not escape their object, and put her into excellent spirits.  She felt she had gone forth conquering and to conquer.  About half-way down the row she recognized a well-known figure on a mighty horse, who cantered up to where she stood, followed by a groom.

“Good-morning, Mrs. Liddell; I thought this piece of fine weather would tempt you out,” cried Colonel Ormonde, dismounting and throwing his rein to the groom, who led away the horse as if in obedience to some previously given command.  “I protest you are a most tantalizing little woman!” he exclaimed, when they had shaken hands and he had patted the children’s heads.  “I have been looking for you this half-hour.  Where did you hide yourself?”

“I did not hide myself.  I am dying to tell you about my uncle.”

“Ah! was he all your prophetic soul painted him?”

“He was, and a good deal more.  He is quite an ogre, and lives in a miserable hovel.  How Katherine can degrade herself by grovelling there with him for the sake of what she can get passes my understanding.”

“Deuced plucky, sensible girl!  She is quite right to stick to the old boy.  Hope she will get his cash.  Gad! with her eyes and his thousands, she’d rouse up society!”

“Well, I believe she intends to have them all.  She was quite vexed at my going over to see the ogre, and I think has prejudiced him against my poor darling boys, for as soon as he saw them he called out that he could not receive any one, that he was ill and nervous.  But I smiled my very best smile, and said I had come to introduce myself, and I hoped he would let me have a little talk with him.  The poor old ogre looked at me rather kindly and earnestly when I said that, and I really do think he would have listened to me, but my sister-in-law would make me come away, as if the sight of me was enough to frighten a horse from his oats; so somehow we got hustled upstairs, and there was an end of it.”