Misses Banneret; these were
the great cards of the party; so Lady Horsingham kissed Lady Banneret
and the young ladies, and opined Master Banneret was _grown_, much to
the indignation of that young gentleman, who, being an Oxonian, of
course considered himself _a man_. Sir Brian was a good-humoured jolly
old boy, with a loud laugh, and stood with his coat-tails lifted and
his back to the empty fireplace in perfect ease and contentment. Not
so his lady; first she scrutinized everything Lady Horsingham had got
on, then she took a review of the furniture, and specially marked one
faded place in the carpet. Lastly, she turned a curious and
disappointed glance on myself. I accounted for the latter mark of
displeasure by the becoming shade of my gown; I knew it was a pretty
one, and would meet with feminine censure accordingly. The Bannerets
were soon followed by Mr. and Mrs. Plumridge, a newly-married couple,
who were _feted_ accordingly. Mr. Plumridge was a light-haired,
unmeaning-looking individual, partially bald, with a blue coat and
white satin neckcloth; his bride a lively, sarcastic, black-eyed
little woman, who must have married him for her own convenience--they
said afterwards she was once a governess; but at all events she held
her own handsomely when alone with the ladies after dinner, and partly
from good-humour, partly from an exceedingly off-hand natural manner,
forced even Lady Banneret to be civil to her. Then came the Marmadukes
and the Marygolds, and old Miss Finch in a sedan-chair from the
adjoining village, and a goodish-looking man whose name I never made
out, and Mr. Sprigges the curate; and lastly, in a white heat and a
state of utter confusion, my shy acquaintance of the railway and the
pointers, who was ushered in by Lady Horsingham's pompous butler under
the style and title of Mr. Haycock. He appeared to be a great friend
of the family; and, much to his own discomfiture, was immediately laid
violent hands on by my aunt and cousin--the former not thinking it
necessary to present him to me, till he offered me his arm to take me
in to dinner, when her face of reproval, on his stammering out he "had
met Miss Coventry before," was worth anything, expressive as it was of
shocked propriety and puzzled astonishment.

When you have a secret only known to your two selves, even with a shy
man, it is wonderful how it brings him on. Before the soup was off the
table Squire Haycock and I had become wonderfully g