th the exception of Arowhena who was
quite different from the rest. They were not fair samples of
Erewhonians. I saw many families with whom they were on visiting terms,
whose manners charmed me more than I know how to say, but I never could
get over my original prejudice against Mr. Nosnibor for having embezzled
the money. Mrs. Nosnibor, too, was a very worldly woman, yet to hear her
talk one would have thought that she was singularly the reverse; neither
could I endure Zulora; Arowhena however was perfection.

She it was who ran all the little errands for her mother and Mr. Nosnibor
and Zulora, and gave those thousand proofs of sweetness and unselfishness
which some one member of a family is generally required to give. All day
long it was Arowhena this, and Arowhena that; but she never seemed to
know that she was being put upon, and was always bright and willing from
morning till evening. Zulora certainly was very handsome, but Arowhena
was infinitely the more graceful of the two and was the very _ne plus
ultra_ of youth and beauty. I will not attempt to describe her, for
anything that I could say would fall so far short of the reality as only
to mislead the reader. Let him think of the very loveliest that he can
imagine, and he will still be below the truth. Having said this much, I
need hardly say that I had fallen in love with her.

She must have seen what I felt for her, but I tried my hardest not to let
it appear even by the slightest sign. I had many reasons for this. I
had no idea what Mr. and Mrs. Nosnibor would say to it; and I knew that
Arowhena would not look at me (at any rate not yet) if her father and
mother disapproved, which they probably would, considering that I had
nothing except the pension of about a pound a day of our money which the
King had granted me. I did not yet know of a more serious obstacle.

In the meantime, I may say that I had been presented at court, and was
told that my reception had been considered as singularly gracious;
indeed, I had several interviews both with the King and Queen, at which
from time to time the Queen got everything from me that I had in the
world, clothes and all, except the two buttons I had given to Yram, the
loss of which seemed to annoy her a good deal. I was presented with a
court suit, and her Majesty had my old clothes put upon a wooden dummy,
on which they probably remain, unless they have been removed in
consequence of my subsequent downfal