of his
gateway. "We have only a humble little house, my dear," he said, as
they turned in. She looked at him and smiled. "I believe you West
Indians generally are lodged very sumptuously."

"Papa had a large straggling place up in the hills, but it was
anything but sumptuous. I do love the idea of an English home, where
things are neat and nice. Oh, dear;--how lovely! That is the River
Thames;--isn't it? How very beautiful!" Then the two girls were at
the door of the cab, and the newcomer was enveloped in the embraces
of her cousins.

Sir Thomas, as he walked along the banks of the river while the young
ladies prepared each other for dinner, reflected that he had never in
his life done such a day's work before as he had just accomplished.
When he had married a wife, that indeed had been a great piece of
business; but it had been done slowly,--for he had been engaged four
years,--and he had of course been much younger at that period. Now he
had brought into his family a new inmate who would force him in his
old age to change all his habits of life. He did not think that he
would dare to neglect Mary Bonner, and to stay in London while she
lived at the villa. He was almost sorry that he had ever heard of
Mary Bonner, in spite of her beauty, and although he had as yet been
able to find in her no cause of complaint. She was ladylike and
quiet;--but yet he was afraid of her. When she came down into the
drawing-room with her hand clasped in that of Clarissa, he was still
more afraid of her. She was dressed all in black, with the utmost
simplicity,--with nothing on her by way of ornament beyond a few
large black beads; but yet she seemed to him to be splendid. There
was a grace of motion about her that was almost majestic. Clary was
very pretty,--very pretty, indeed; but Clary was just the girl that
an old gentleman likes to fetch him his slippers and give him his
tea. Sir Thomas felt that, old as he was, it would certainly be his
business to give Mary Bonner her tea.

The two girls contrived to say a few words to their father that night
before they joined Mary amidst her trunks in her bedroom. "Papa,
isn't she lovely?" said Clarissa.

"She certainly is a very handsome young woman."

"And not a bit like what I expected," continued Clary. "Of course
I knew she was good-looking. I had always heard that. But I thought
that she would have been a sort of West Indian girl, dark, and lazy,
and selfish. Ralph was saying that is