incivility.

She turned to Muir Howard, who was looking very pink and cheery. Muir
was a popular man for his great ease in making conversation, the kind
that is as the pudding part in a plum pudding, and without which the
plums, however delightful, could hardly stick together. Though the great
majority of people talk commonplaces, their banalities are by no means
always the kind that help. Muir's particular way of opening open doors,
flogging dead horses, and genially enjoying any spark of fun in his
friends, coupled with his good looks and pleasant, hearty disposition,
made him a most useful and welcome guest, as a sort of super. He was
quite decorative, and could be turned on to talk newspaper politics to
dull men, pretty platitudes to plain women; to make himself generally
useful, and altogether to help things to go. In this way he was
invaluable. Young girls always liked him; he was a great favourite with
elderly ladies, and with men of his own age also, who were, however,
occasionally bored with his worship for his friend Vaughan. He found it
very difficult not to mention Gillie less than once in every five
minutes.

That distinguished young man, who was beginning to look a little jaded
with incense, was engrossed with his hostess. Whenever he was there
Harry always became particularly devoted in his manner to Valentia, and
scarcely ever left her other side. This was one of the reasons that she
enjoyed Gillie's presence, besides that she was, now that she knew him
well, particularly fond of him. His conversation and personality in
general had a special flavour.

Every one was talking and laughing with the light intoxication produced
by tea and cigarettes in the open air on a fine Sunday afternoon,
excepting only Romer, who as usual said hardly anything, absorbed in
admiration of his wife. He suddenly remarked--

"I say, Val. The Campbells are coming."

He wondered why this statement produced a burst of irresponsible
laughter.

"What fun! Will there be bagpipes?" Vaughan asked.

"No, no. Romer means the Prebendary Campbell, or at least his wife and
daughter. They're coming to see us this afternoon. I had quite
forgotten. Please all behave nicely. They've been a long time making up
their minds. I believe they think we're frivolous."

"Not really? How could they? It reminds one of the story of Henry
James." Vaughan stopped to light a cigarette.

"Go on."

"It appears that for some time his near neighbours