‘Miss Dunstable has arrived,’ said his aunt to him, with great complacency, on his return from an electioneering visit to the beauties of Barchester which he made with his cousin George on the day after the conversation which was repeated at the end of the last chapter.  ’She has arrived, and is looking remarkably well; she has quite a distingue air, and will grace any circle to which she may be introduced.  I will introduce you before dinner, and you can take her out.’

‘I couldn’t propose to her to-night, I suppose?’ said Frank, maliciously.

‘Don’t talk nonsense, Frank,’ said the countess angrily.  ’I am doing what I can for you, and taking on an infinity of trouble to endeavour to place you in an independent position; and now you talk nonsense to me.’

Frank muttered some sort of apology, and then went to prepare himself for the encounter.

Miss Dunstable, though she had come by train, had brought with her her own carriage, her own horses, her own coachman and footman, and her own maid, of course.  She had also brought with her half a score of trunks, full of wearing apparel; some of them nearly as rich as that wonderful box which was stolen a short time since from the top of a cab.  But she brought these things, not in the least because she wanted them herself, but because she had been instructed to do so.

Frank was a little more than ordinarily careful in dressing.  He spoilt a couple of white neckties before he was satisfied, and was rather fastidious as the set of his hair.  There was not much of the dandy about him in the ordinary meaning of the word.  But he felt that it was incumbent on him to look his best, seeing what it was expected he should now do.  He certainly did not mean to marry Miss Dunstable; but as he was to have a flirtation with her, it was well that he should do so under the best possible auspices.

When he entered the drawing-room he perceived at once that the lady was there.  She was seated between the countess and Mrs Proudie; and mammon, in her person, was receiving worship from the temporalities and spiritualities of the land.  He tried to look unconcerned, and remained in the farther part of the room, talking with some of his cousins; but he could not keep his eye off the future possible Mrs Frank Gresham; and it seemed as though she was as much constrained to scrutinize him as he felt to scrutinize her.

Lady de Courcy had declared that she was looking extremely well, and had particularly alluded to her distingue appearance.  Frank at once felt that he could not altogether go along with his aunt in this opinion.  Miss Dunstable might be very well; but her style of beauty was one which did not quite meet with his warmest admiration.