vants' gate, came straight up to them, and
delivered a letter to Mr. De Mousa, who abruptly tore open the envelope,
read the contents of the note, and handed it to his wife. Lady Angora,
seeing it was an invitation from the Tortoshells to dinner on that day
week, tossed her head as she gave it back, and Mr. De Mousa blandly
informed the servant--a stupid lout, who had been bred in a
farm-yard--that he would communicate with Mr. Tortoshell.

All down the broad walk in Kensington Gardens, all across by the
flower-gardens, and all up the path by the ha-ha, Lady Angora talked of
nothing but the impudence of the Tortoshells, vowing and protesting that
nothing on earth should induce her to visit them. But her good-natured
husband was more inclined to treat the matter as a joke, and, by dint of
persuasion and raillery, before they reached home he had induced Lady
Angora to accept the invitation "for this once." A polite answer was,
therefore, immediately despatched.

The week elapsed. Mrs. Tabitha had worked herself into a perfect fever
of anxiety; and her poor daughters, Minnie and Katty, were tired to
death with their labour in carrying out their mother's injunctions. The
dinner-hour was fixed for six o'clock. At half-past five Mrs. Tabitha
was still adding vermicelli to the soup, Minnie and Katty were still
turning out jellies and blanc-manges, and Sappy the footman was still
cleaning the plate. Mr. Tortoshell was sitting uneasily by the window
endeavouring to read "The Times," and young Tom was flying home from the
City in a Hansom's cab at the rate of twelve miles an hour.

At a quarter past six, Mr. De Mousa and Lady Angora arrived. Neither
Mrs. Tortoshell nor her daughters were ready to receive them. Sappy was
in his shirt-sleeves, and the maids were not fit to be seen; so Mr.
Tortoshell had to open the door, receive his company, and usher them
into his drawing-room himself. Mr. De Mousa looked at his watch and said
he was afraid they were early, which rather confused Mr. Tortoshell; but
the cousins soon got to talking of the beautiful weather, and the
beautiful moonlight nights, and Lady Angora amused herself by playing
with a young kitten on the hearth-rug.

At half-past six Mr. Tortoshell said he really must see why his wife and
daughter did not come, and for that purpose left the room. Lady Angora
looked at her husband, who, well-bred as he was, could not help
observing, with a broad smile, that "such manners wer