tic 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."

"Ah, Mrs. Liddell, you ought not to have allowed yourself to be
outmanoeuvred," cried the Colonel, who greatly enjoyed irritating his
pretty little friend. "Your _belle-soeur_ (as she really is) is too
many for you. Don't you give up; try again when the adorable Katherine
is out of the way."

"I fully intend to do so, I assure you," cried Mrs. Frederic, her eyes
sparkling, her heart beating with vexation, but determined to keep up
the illusion of ingratiating herself with the miserly uncle. "Pray
remember this is only a first attempt."

"I am sure you have my devout wishes for your success. How this wretched
old hunk can resist such eyes, such a smile, as yours, is beyond my
comprehension. If such a niece attacked _me_, I should surrender at the
first demand."

"I don't think you would"--a little tartly. "I think you have as keen a
regard for your own interest as most men."

"I am sure you would despise me if I had not, and the idea of being
despised by you is intolerable."

"You know I do not"--very softly. "But it is time I turned and went
toward home."

"Nonsense, my dear Mrs. Liddell! or, if you will turn, let it be round
Kensington Gardens. Do you know, I am going to Scotland next week, to
Sir Ralph's moor; then I expect a party to meet Errington at my own
place early in September; so I shall not have many chances of