s in love with
her. She was neither dark nor fair, neither pale nor ruddy, neither
short nor tall. I never could succeed in making out the colour of her
eyes, but she had wonderfully long thick eyelashes with a curl in them
(I wish mine had been cut when I was a baby), and a beautiful
healthy-looking skin, and such good teeth. After all, I think her
great attraction was her nose. It had more expression in its straight,
well-cut bridge and little, sharp point than all the rest of her
features put together. I believe it was her nose that conquered
everything, and that her small feet and pretty figure and white hands,
and dashing ways and _piquante_ conversation had much less to answer
for than one saucy little feature. How she rattled on: "You don't know
Lady Scapegrace, Miss Coventry, do you? There, that bold-looking woman
in yellow. Beautiful black hair, hasn't she?--false, every bit of it!
She'll bow to me to-night, because she sees me with your good aunt;
there, I told you so! Since she and Sir Guy are living together again
she sets up for being respectable--such stories, my dear! but I don't
believe half of 'em. However, I've seen her with my own eyes do _the
oddest_ things--at best, I'm afraid she's a shocking flirt! There's
your cousin, Mr. Jones--you see I know everybody. How black he
looks--he don't like me--a great many people don't--but I return good
for evil--I like everybody--it's never worth while to be cross;" and
as she said so she smiled with such a sunny, merry expression that I
liked her better and better.

Cousin John certainly did look very cross. "Who introduced you to that
horrid woman, Kate?" said he as soon as a fresh convulsion in the
crowd had stranded us a few steps higher up, and we were separated
from Mrs. Lumley and her attractions.

"My aunt, sir," I replied demurely, telling a "_white_ one" for the
sake of teasing him. "Why? Have you any objections?"

"Oh, of course, if my aunt did, it's all right," replied he. "I don't
know a great deal of her, and what I do know I don't much like. But,
Kate, there's a friend of mine wishes to be presented to you. You've
often heard me mention Frank Lovell--well, there he is; do you see
him?--turning round now to speak to Lady Scapegrace."

Good heavens! it was the man I had seen in the park so often, if
possible better-looking with his hat off than I had thought him in his
morning costume, with the eternal cigar in his mouth. I have a sort of
dim re