wth, the carriage,
the hair, the colour of the eyes; it seems much better to give the
whole person at once, without these details. Here, too, it would be
quite enough to state that the lady, who ran against the startled
Peregrine, was uncommonly handsome and graceful, if it were not
absolutely requisite to speak of certain peculiarities which the little
creature had about her.

She was small, and, indeed, somewhat too small, but, at the same time,
neatly and elegantly proportioned. Her forehead, in other respects
handsomely formed and full of expression, acquired a something strange
and singular from the unusual size of the eyeballs, and from the dark
pencilly brows being higher placed than ordinary. The little thing was
dressed, or rather decorated, as if she had just come from a ball. A
splendid diadem glittered amongst her raven locks, rich point lace only
half veiled her bosom, a black and yellow striped dress of heavy silk
sate close upon her slender body, and fell down in folds just so low as
to let the neatest little feet be seen, in white shoes, while the
sleeves were just long enough, and the gloves just short enough, to
show the fairest part of a dazzling arm. A rich necklace, and brilliant
ear-rings, completed her attire.

It could not but be that the bookbinder was as much surprised as
Peregrine,--that the children abandoned their playthings, and stared
with open mouths at the stranger: as, however, women in general are
wont to be the least astonished at any thing unusual, and are the
quickest to collect themselves, so, on this occasion also, the
bookbinder's wife was the first that recovered speech, and asked, "In
what she could serve the lady?"

Upon this the stranger came fairly into the room, and the frightened
Peregrine would have seized the opportunity to take himself quickly
off, but she caught him by both hands, lisping out, in a little soft
voice, "Fortune, then, has favoured me! I have found you, then! O
Peregrine, my dear Peregrine, what a delightful meeting!" Herewith she
raised her right hand, so that it touched Peregrine's lips, and he was
compelled to kiss it, though, in so doing, the cold drops of
perspiration stood on his forehead. She now, indeed, let go his hands,
and he might have fled, but he felt himself spellbound, he could not
move from the place--like some poor little animal that has been
fascinated by the eye of the rattle-snake.

"Allow me," she said, "dear Peregrine, to share