erved the other Miss Templeton somewhat
coolly to her companion, and then she rose from the boulder and walked
rather majestically towards her sister and their guest.

Her manner was friendly, and she greeted Malcolm kindly enough, but it
was less soft and winning than her sister's, and did not impress him so
favourably. Then she introduced Mr. Carlyon, and the two young men
shook hands; and afterwards the dogs passed in review, and Elizabeth
gravely named each one, ending up with her sister's little dachshund
Mike.

Malcolm, who was a dog-lover, although he had none of his own, was soon
making friends with all the animals; but as he praised and caressed
them, he was telling himself over and over again that the second Miss
Templeton could not hold a candle to her sister.

Malcolm was terribly critical with regard to women; Anna had often
blamed him for his severity.

"It is a mistake to expect perfection," she would say; "it is so easy
to find fault and pick holes in people;" but though Malcolm agreed with
her, he still remained fastidious and hard to please. So he at once
decided that Miss Elizabeth Templeton was not to his taste. In the
first place, he did not admire big women--and she was tall, and
decidedly massive. Her dress, too, was singularly unbecoming--a big
woman in a cotton blouse and a battered old hat was a spectacle to make
him shudder. Miss Templeton's blue muslin and dainty ruffles were a
pleasing contrast.

"It is a woman's duty to set herself off as much as possible," he would
say to the long-suffering Anna, and then he transposed a certain
saying, "If you can't be handsome, be as handsome as you can;" and he
would hold forth on the immorality of slovenliness.

"I daresay Miss Elizabeth Templeton would not be bad-looking if she
only took a little pains with herself," he thought, as they all grouped
themselves comfortably on the boulders. After a moment's hesitation,
Elizabeth placed herself beside him and begun to talk to him. Somehow
her voice pleased him. It was not so sweet as her sister's, and there
was a sort of burr in it, and when he knew her better he discovered
that when she was eager or excited about anything there was a slight
hesitation, as though her words tripped each other up; but with all its
defects it was a voice to linger in the memory. She was so close to him
now that he could judge of her better. She was certainly not handsome,
her features were irregular and her mouth deci