blue and lilac cottons, patterns, scissors, and papers covered
with mysterious dots; there were odd-looking glass bottles on the
mantel-shelf with odder looking things in them, and saucers holding what
Violet, at home, would have called messes; the straw-bonnet lay on the
floor, and beside it the Scotch terrier, who curled up his lips, showed
his white teeth, and greeted the invaders with a growl, which became
a bark as Arthur snapped his fingers at him. 'Ha! Skylark, that is bad
manners. Where's your mistress? Theodora!'

At the call, the door of the inner room opened, but only a little dark
damsel appeared, saying, in a French accent, that Miss Martindale was
gone to Miss Gardner's room.

'Is Miss Gardner here?' exclaimed Arthur.

'She is arrived about half an hour ago,' was the reply. Arthur uttered
an impatient interjection, and Violet begged to know who Miss Gardner
was.

'A great friend of Theodora's. I wish she would have kept further off
just now, not that she is not a good-natured agreeable person enough,
but I hate having strangers here. There will be no good to be got out
of Theodora now! There are two sisters always going about staying at
places, the only girls Theodora ever cared for; and just now, Georgina,
the youngest, who used to be a wild fly-away girl, just such as Theodora
herself, has gone and married one Finch, a miserly old rogue, that
scraped up a huge fortune in South America, and is come home old enough
for her grandfather. What should possess Theodora to bring Jane here
now? I thought she would never have forgiven them. But we may as well
come down. Here's the staircase for use and comfort.'

'And here is the hall! Oh!' cried Violet, springing towards it, 'this
really is the Dying Gladiator. Just like the one at Wrangerton!'

'What else should he be like!' said Arthur, laughing. 'Every one who
keeps a preserve of statues has the same.'

She would have liked to linger, recognizing her old friends, and
studying this museum of wonders, inlaid marble tables, cases of stuffed
humming birds, and stands of hot-house plants, but Arthur hurried her
on, saying it was very ill-contrived, a draught straight through it, so
that nothing warmed it. He opened doors, giving her a moment's glimpse
of yellow satin, gilding and pictures, in the saloon, which was next
to the drawing-room where she had been received, and beyond it the
dining-room. Opposite, were the billiard-room, a library, and Lord
Martin