, looking most superbly
haughty and unapproachable, shot an annihilating glance at the small
man, which would have quite extinguished him had he seen it.

"The country is very pretty in June," said Mrs. Aspeden, hazarding
another original remark.

"Lovely--too lovely!" echoed Mr. Mills, with a profound sigh, at which
the country must have felt exceedingly flattered.

"Glorious creature your new mare is, Mr. Mills," cried the Cantab;
"splendid style she took the fences in yesterday."

"Wilkins may well say she is the _belle_ of the county!" continued Mr.
Mills, dreamily. "I beg your pardon, what did you say? my mother took
the fences well? No, she never hunts."

"Pray tell Mrs. Mills I am very much obliged for the beautiful azalias
she sent me," interposed Florence, with her sweet smile.

"I--I am sure anything we have _you_ are welcome to. I--I--allow me----"
And the poor squire, stooping for Florence's thimble, upset a tiny
table, on which stood a vase with the azalias in question, on the back
of a little bull of a spaniel, who yelled, and barked, and flew at the
squire's legs, who, for his part, became speechless from fright,
reddened all over, and at last, stammering out that he wanted to see Mr.
Aspeden, and would go to him in the grounds, rushed from the room.

We all burst out laughing at this climax of the poor little man's
misery.

"I will not have you laugh at him so," said Florence, at length. "I know
him to be truly good and charitable, for all his peculiarities of
manner."

"It is but right Miss Aspeden should defend a _soupirant_ so charming in
every way," said the captain, his moustache curling contemptuously.

"Oh! Florie's made an out-and-out conquest, and no mistake!" cried Tom
Cleaveland.

Florence did not heed her cousin, but looked up in Fane's face, utterly
astonished at his sarcastic tones. No man could have withstood that look
of those large, beautiful eyes, and Fane bent down and asked her to sing
"_Roberto, oh tu che adoro!_"

"Yes, that will just do. Robert is his name; pity he is not here to hear
it. 'Robert Mills, _oh tu che adoro!_'" sang the inexorable Cantab, as
he walked across the room and asked Mary to have a game of billiards.
For once I had the pleasure of forestalling him, but he, nevertheless,
came and marked for us in a very amiable manner. "How well you play,
Mary," said he. "Really, stunningly for a woman. Do you know Beauchamp
of Kings won three whole pools the ot