back to the yellow drawing-room by Mr. Preston, who made many apologies for leaving her there alone.  She enjoyed herself extremely, however, feeling at liberty to prowl about, and examine all the curiosities the room contained.  Among other things was a Louis Quinze cabinet with lovely miniatures in enamel let into the fine woodwork.  She carried a candle to it, and was looking intently at these faces when her father and Mr. Preston came in.  Her father looked still careworn and anxious; he came up and patted her on the back, looked at what she was looking at, and then went off to silence and the fire.  Mr. Preston took the candle out of her hand, and threw himself into her interests with an air of ready gallantry.

’That is said to be Mademoiselle de St Quentin, a great beauty at the French Court.  This is Madame du Barri.  Do you see any likeness in Mademoiselle de St Quentin to any one you know?’ He had lowered his voice a little as he asked this question.

‘No!’ said Molly, looking at it again.  ’I never saw any one half so beautiful.’

‘But don’t you see a likeness—­in the eyes particularly?’ he asked again, with some impatience.

Molly tried hard to find out a resemblance, and was again unsuccessful.

‘It constantly reminds me of—­of Miss Kirkpatrick.’

‘Does it?’ said Molly, eagerly.  ’Oh!  I am so glad—­I’ve never seen her, so of course I couldn’t find out the likeness.  You know her, then, do you?  Please tell me all about her.’

He hesitated a moment before speaking.  He smiled a little before replying.

’She’s very beautiful; that of course is understood when I say that this miniature does not come up to her for beauty.’

‘And besides?—­Go on, please.’

‘What do you mean by “besides"?’

‘Oh!  I suppose she’s very clever and accomplished?’

That was not in the least what Molly wanted to ask; but it was difficult to word the vague vastness of her unspoken inquiry.

’She is clever naturally; she has picked up accomplishments.  But she has such a charm about her, one forgets what she herself is in the halo that surrounds her.  You ask me all this, Miss Gibson, and I answer truthfully; or else I should not entertain one young lady with my enthusiastic praises of another.’

‘I don’t see why not,’ said Molly.  ’Besides, if you wouldn’t do it in general, I think you ought to do it in my case; for you, perhaps, don’t know, but she is coming to live with us when she leaves school, and we are very nearly the same age; so it will be almost like having a sister.’

‘She is to live with you, is she?’ said Mr. Preston, to whom this intelligence was news.  ’And when is she to leave school?  I thought she would surely have been at this wedding; but I was told she was not to come.  When is she to leave school?’

’I think it is to be at Easter.  You know she’s at Boulogne, and it’s a long journey for her to come alone; or else papa wished for her to be at the marriage very much indeed.’