as not in earnest, but of pure impatience.
And having no motive but downright jealousy for keeping Mrs. Price from
me, he made up his mind at last to let her come. But he told me to be
careful what I said; I must not expect it to be at all like talking to
himself, for instance.

The housekeeper came up at last, by dint of my persistence, and she
stopped in the doorway and made me a courtesy, which put me out of
countenance, for nobody ever does that in America, and scarcely any one
in England now, except in country-dancing. Instead of being as described
by Stixon, Mrs. Price was of a very quiet, sensible, and respectful
kind. She was rather short, but looked rather tall, from her even
walk and way of carrying her head. Her figure was neat, and her face
clear-spoken, with straight pretty eyebrows, and calm bright eyes. I
felt that I could tell her almost any thing, and she would think
before she talked of it. And in my strong want of some woman to advise
with--Betsy Bowen being very good but very narrow, and Mrs. Hockin a
mere echo of the Major until he contradicted her, and Suan Isco, with
her fine, large views, five thousand miles out of sight just now--this
was a state of things to enhance the value of any good countenance
feminine.

At any rate, I was so glad to see her that, being still ungraduated in
the steps of rank (though beginning to like a good footing there), I ran
up and took her by both hands, and fetched her out of her grand courtesy
and into a low chair. At this she was surprised, as one quick glance
showed; and she thought me, perhaps, what is called in England "an
impulsive creature." This put me again upon my dignity, for I never have
been in any way like that, and I clearly perceived that she ought to
understand a little more distinctly my character.

It is easy to begin with this intention, but very hard indeed to keep
it up when any body of nice ways and looks is sitting with a proper
deferential power of listening, and liking one's young ideas, which
multiply and magnify themselves at each demand. So after some general
talk about the weather, the country, the house, and so on, we came to
the people of the house, or at any rate the chief person. And I asked
her a few quiet questions about Lord Castlewood's health and habits, and
any thing else she might like to tell me. For many things had seemed
to me a little strange and out of the usual course, and on that account
worthy to be spoken of witho