of pine-logs
is roaring up the chimney. The piano is draped with Bokhara plush,
and everywhere the latest magazines, novels, and papers are scattered.

Mrs. Hungerford is a very tiny woman, but slight and well-proportioned.
Her large hazel eyes, sparkling with fun and merriment, are shaded by
thick, curly lashes. She has a small, determined mouth, and the chin
slightly upturned, gives a _piquante_ expression to the intelligent
face--so bright and vivacious. Her hair is of a fair-brown colour, a
little lighter than her eyelashes, and is piled up high on the top of
her head, breaking away into natural curls over her brow. She is clad
in an exquisite tea-gown of dark blue plush, with a soft, hanging,
loose front of a lighter shade of silk. Some old lace ruffles finish
off the wrists and throat, and she wears a pair of little high-heeled
_Louis quinze_ shoes, which display her small and pretty feet. She
looks the embodiment of good temper, merry wit, and _espieglerie_.

It is difficult to realize that she is the mother of the six children
who are grouped in the background. One lovely little fairy, 'Vera',
ages three and a half, runs clinging up to her skirts, and peeps out
shyly. Her delicate colouring suggests a bit of dainty Dresden china.
Later on, you discover that this is actually the pet name by which she
is known, being indeed quite famous here as a small beauty. 'Master
Tom', a splendid roly-poly fellow, aged sixteen months is playing with
a heap of toys on the rug near the fire and is carefully watched over
by a young brother of five. The three other girls are charming little
maidens. The eldest, though but in her early teens, is intellectual and
studious; the second has a decided talent for painting, whilst the
third, says her mother, laughing, 'is a consummate idler, but witty and
clever'.

By and bye your hostess takes you into what she calls her 'den', for a
long, undisturbed chat, and this room also bears the stamp of her taste
and love of study. A big log fire burns merrily here, too, in the huge
grate, and lights up a splendid old oak cabinet, reaching from floor to
ceiling, which, with four more bookcases, seems literally crammed with
dictionaries, books of reference, novels, and other light literature;
but the picturesque is not wanting, and there are plenty of other
decorations, such as paintings, flowers, and valuable old china to be
seen. Here the clever little author passes three hours every morning