ew that it was not
mannerly, how like a princess Lorna looked, now she had her best things
on; but two things caught Squire Faggus's eyes, after he had made a
most gallant bow, and received a most graceful courtesy; and he kept his
bright bold gaze upon them, first on one, and then on the other, until
my darling was hot with blushes, and I was ready to knock him down if he
had not been our visitor. But here again I should have been wrong, as I
was apt to be in those days; for Tom intended no harm whatever, and his
gaze was of pure curiosity; though Annie herself was vexed with it. The
two objects of his close regard, were first, and most worthily, Lorna's
face, and secondly, the ancient necklace restored to her by Sir Ensor
Doone.

Now wishing to save my darling's comfort, and to keep things quiet, I
shouted out that dinner was ready, so that half the parish could hear
me; upon which my mother laughed, and chid me, and despatched her guests
before her. And a very good dinner we made, I remember, and a very
happy one; attending to the women first, as now is the manner of eating;
except among the workmen. With them, of course, it is needful that
the man (who has his hours fixed) should be served first, and make the
utmost of his time for feeding, while the women may go on, as much as
ever they please, afterwards. But with us, who are not bound to time,
there is no such reason to be quoted; and the women being the weaker
vessels, should be the first to begin to fill. And so we always arranged
it.

Now, though our Annie was a graceful maid, and Lizzie a very learned
one, you should have seen how differently Lorna managed her dining; she
never took more than about a quarter of a mouthful at a time, and she
never appeared to be chewing that, although she must have done so.
Indeed, she appeared to dine as if it were a matter of no consequence,
and as if she could think of other things more than of her business. All
this, and her own manner of eating, I described to Eliza once, when I
wanted to vex her for something very spiteful that she had said; and
I never succeeded so well before, for the girl was quite outrageous,
having her own perception of it, which made my observation ten times as
bitter to her. And I am not sure but what she ceased to like poor Lorna
from that day; and if so, I was quite paid out, as I well deserved, for
my bit of satire.

For it strikes me that of all human dealings, satire is the very lowest,
a