g she likes so much as a "quiet morning with
Kate."

The hours passed off rather slowly till luncheon-time. I did forty-two
stitches of worsted-work--I never do more than fifty at a time, unless
it's "grounding"--and I got off Hannah More because Aunt Deborah was
too hoarse to read to _me_, and I really cannot read that excellent
work to _her_ without laughing; but I thought luncheon never would be
ready, and when it did come I couldn't eat any. However, I went
upstairs afterwards, and smoothed my hair and set my collar straight,
and was glad to hear Aunt Deborah give her usual order that she was
"at home" with her usual solemnity. I had not been ten minutes in the
drawing-room before a knock at the door brought my heart into my
mouth, and our tragic footman announced "Captain Lovell" in his most
tragic voice. In marched Frank, who had never set eyes on my aunt in
his life, and shook hands with _me_, and made _her_ a very low bow,
with a degree of effrontery that nothing but a _man_ could ever have
been capable of assuming. Aunt Deborah drew herself up--and she really
is very formidable when she gets on her _high horse_--and looked first
at me, and then at Frank, and then at me again; and I blushed like a
fool, and hesitated, and introduced "Captain Lovell" to "My aunt, Miss
Horsingham!" and I didn't the least know what to do next, and had a
great mind to make a bolt for it and run upstairs. But our visitor
seemed to have no misgivings whatever, and smoothed his hat and talked
about the weather as if he had known us all from childhood. I have
often remarked that if you only deprive a man of the free use of his
hands there is no difficulty which he is unable to face. Give him
something to handle and keep fidgeting at, and he seems immediately to
be in his element, never mind what it is--a paper-knife and a book to
open, or a flower to pull in pieces, or a pair of scissors and a bit
of thread to snip, or even the end of a stick to suck--and he draws
inspiration, and what is more to the purpose, _conversation_, from any
and all of these sources.

But let him have his hands entirely to himself, give him nothing to
"lay hold of," and he is completely dumbfoundered on the spot. Here
was Frank brushing and smoothing away at his hat till it shone like
black satin, and facing my aunt with a gallantry and steadiness beyond
all praise; but I believe if I could have snatched it away from him
and hid it under the sofa, he would ha