a
or the family."

"It wasn't long before we did know him," said the Marchioness. Then
Miss Tallowax turned round and again curtseyed with her head and
shoulders.

The Dean at this moment was not in the room, having been withdrawn from
the ladies by his son-in-law at the front door; but as luncheon was
announced, the two men came in. Lord George gave his arm to his wife's
great aunt, and the Dean followed with the Marchioness.

"I really am a'most ashamed to walk out before her ladyship," said Miss
Tallowax, with a slight attempt at laughing at her own ignorance.

But Lord George rarely laughed at anything, and certainly did not know
how to treat pleasantly such a subject as this. "It's quite customary,"
he said very gravely.

The lunch was much more tremendous to Miss Tallowax than had been the
dinner at the deanery. Though she was ignorant,--ignorant at any rate
of the ways of such people as those with whom she was now
consorting,--she was by no means a stupid old woman. She was soon able
to perceive that in spite of the old merino gown, it was Lady Sarah's
spirit that quelled them all. At first there was very little
conversation. Lord George did not speak a word. The Marchioness never
exerted herself. Poor Mary was cowed and unhappy. The Dean made one or
two little efforts, but without much success. Lady Sarah was intent
upon her mutton chop, which she finished to the last shred, turning it
over and over in her plate so that it should be economically disposed
of, looking at it very closely because she was short-sighted. But when
the mutton chop had finally done its duty, she looked up from her plate
and gave evident signs that she intended to take upon herself the
weight of the conversation. All the subsequent ceremonies of the lunch
itself, the little tarts and the jelly, and the custard pudding, she
despised altogether, regarding them as wicked additions. One pudding
after dinner she would have allowed, but nothing more of that sort. It
might be all very well for parvenu millionaires to have two grand
dinners a-day, but it could not be necessary that the Germains should
live in that way, even when the Dean of Brotherton and his aunt came to
lunch with them.

"I hope you like this part of the country, Miss Tallowax," she said, as
soon as she had deposited her knife and fork over the bone.

"Manor Cross is quite splendid, my lady," said Miss Tallowax.

"It is an old house, and we shall have great pleasure i