s, the girls were too much overcome with surprise
to respond.

Back already, when she had barely had time to go up to the door and
retrace her steps! What did it mean? Not at home? But Mr Vanburgh
was always at home. According to report, his farthest expedition was
into the garden, where surely he would be able to receive a visitor on a
bright spring afternoon. Surprise held them dumb, until Mrs Maitland
had reached speaking distance, when, with one accord, they deafened her
with inquiries, to which she did her best to reply after the first
greetings were over.

"How do you do, Mrs Rendell? Good afternoon, Mr Talbot. I am one of
the privileged _few_ who have been told your secret, and I wish you
every happiness, and dear Lilias also. I tell every engaged couple I
meet that I hope they may only be as happy as I am. My dear children,
don't pull me to pieces; this is my very best dress! I'll tell you all
about it in a minute. I am so glad to have this opportunity of seeing
you all together, for I was longing to come over. May I sit here?
Well, then, to begin at the beginning..."

She put her card-case on her lap, and clasped her hands together in
preparation, and the girls watched her with approving eyes, for Mrs
Maitland was a most satisfactory story-teller. She began at the
beginning--the very smallest possible beginning--instead of halfway
through the narrative, as other grown-up people had a habit of doing,
and went straight through to the end, noticing every detail, and
describing it in racy, picturesque language.

"Well, we went up to the door and rang the bell. It is not an ordinary
everyday bell, but a quaint, wrought-iron handle, hanging on a chain
from a sort of signpost arrangement, and I could hear it pealing away in
most melodious fashion inside the house. The curtain inside the glass
panels of the door was caught slightly back, and I could get a peep into
the vestibule. The oak has been left untouched, and there are palms on
either side sunk into great pots of copper with snakes and dragons and
all kinds of uncanny animals standing out in relief. I was still
peering through when the inner door was thrown open, and the butler
appeared, upon which I straightened myself at once, and tried to look
stately and dignified. I had just one minute to take in the inner hall,
so cannot tell you much about it, except that it is a perfect museum of
wonderful and beautiful things--pieces of tapestry hu