er Charlotte,--who had been
called Charlie on the sands of Yarmouth for the last twelve years.

When the widow came into the room, they flew at her and devoured her
with kisses, and swore that they had never seen her looking so well.
But as the bright new gloves which both the girls wore had been
presents from Mrs Greenow, they certainly did owe her some affection.
There are not many ladies who would venture to bestow such gifts upon
their friends after so very short an acquaintance; but Mrs Greenow
had a power that was quite her own in such matters. She was already
on a very confidential footing with the Miss Fairstairs, and had
given them much useful advice as to their future prospects.

And then was there a Mrs Green, whose husband was first-lieutenant on
board a man-of-war on the West Indian Station. Mrs Green was a quiet,
ladylike little woman, rather pretty, very silent, and, as one would
have thought, hardly adapted for the special intimacy of Mrs Greenow.
But Mrs Greenow had found out that she was alone, not very rich,
and in want of the solace of society. Therefore she had, from sheer
good-nature, forced herself upon Mrs Green, and Mrs Green, with much
trepidation, had consented to be taken to the picnic. "I know your
husband would like it," Mrs Greenow had said, "and I hope I may live
to tell him that I made you go."

There came in also a brother of the Fairstairs girls, Joe Fairstairs,
a lanky, useless, idle young man, younger than them, who was supposed
to earn his bread in an attorney's office at Norwich, or rather to be
preparing to earn it at some future time, and who was a heavy burden
upon all his friends. "We told Joe to come to the house," said Fanny
to the widow, apologetically, "because we thought he might be useful
in carrying down the cloaks." Mrs Greenow smiled graciously upon
Joe, and assured him that she was charmed to see him, without any
reference to such services as those mentioned.

And then they started. When they got to the door both Cheesacre and
the captain made an attempt to get possession of the widow's arm. But
she had it all arranged. Captain Bellfield found himself constrained
to attend to Mrs Green, while Mr Cheesacre walked down to the beach
beside Kate Vavasor. "I'll take your arm, Mr Joe," said the widow,
"and the girls shall come with us." But when they got to the boats,
round which the other comers to the picnic were already assembled, Mr
Cheesacre,--although both the boa