le time, her sheets
were always well aired, her maids often saucy, and she often in tears,
but Sturk's lace and fine-linen were always forthcoming in exemplary
order; she rehearsed the catechism with the children, and loved Dr.
Walsingham heartily, and made more raspberry jam than any other woman of
her means in Chapelizod, except, perhaps, Mrs. Nutter, between whom and
herself there were points of resemblance, but something as nearly a feud
as could subsist between their harmless natures. Each believed the other
matched with a bold bad man, who was always scheming something--they
never quite understood what--against her own peerless lord; each on
seeing the other, hoping that Heaven would defend the right and change
the hearts of her enemies, or, at all events confound their politics;
and each, with a sort of awful second-sight, when they viewed one
another across the street, beholding her neighbour draped in a dark film
of thunder-cloud, and with a sheaf of pale lightning, instead of a fan
flickering in her hand.

When they came down to dinner, the gallant Captain Cluffe contrived to
seat himself beside Aunt Becky, to whom the rogue commended himself by
making a corner on his chair, next hers, for that odious greedy little
brute 'Fancy,' and by a hundred other adroit and amiable attentions. And
having a perfect acquaintance with all her weak points--as everybody had
who lived long in Chapelizod--he had no difficulty in finding topics to
interest her, and in conversing acceptably thereupon. And, indeed,
whenever he was mentioned for some time after, she used to remark, that
Captain Cluffe was a very conversable and worthy young (!) man.

In truth, that dinner went swiftly and pleasantly over for many of the
guests. Gertrude Chattesworth was placed between the enamoured Puddock
and the large-eyed, handsome, mysterious Mervyn. Of course, the hour
flew with light and roseate wings for him. Little Puddock was in great
force, and chatted with energy, and his theatrical lore, and his
oddities, made him not unamusing. So she smiled on him more than usual,
to make amends for the frowns of the higher powers, and he was as happy
as a prince and as proud as a peacock, and quite tipsy with his success.

It is not always easy to know what young ladies like best or least, or
quite what they are driving at; and Cluffe, from the other side of the
table, thought, though Puddock _was_ an agreeable fellow, and exerting
himself uncommon