or little
ignoramus?"

And, in fact, so confused and taken back was Fanny that she scarce knew
what to say; moreover, she was so lost in the contemplation of Dame
Marion's gums that she hardly had had time to observe Flora. But,
indeed, there was no need for her or anybody else to try and find words;
on the contrary, if anybody had had any to spare, he would have had to
keep them to himself, for Dame Marion always brought with her sufficient
conversation to keep a whole assembly going.

"Pray be seated, ladies! You, Lady Flora, sit down here, by my wife.
Dame Marion, a hundred thousand pardons!"

A glance at the lady's face had suddenly convinced Squire John that she
was quite well aware where she ought and meant to sit, without his
telling her; and down she sat accordingly, in an armchair on the other
side of the room.

"I must ask your pardon, my dear neighbour," began Dame Marion, in an
artificial sort of style, belonging to none of the recognized categories
of rhetoric, and which continually suggested the suspicion that the
speaker was rolling something about in her mouth which she was too lazy
to spit out--"I must ask your pardon, _chere voisine_--we live, you
know, close to the Karpathy estate in these parts" (_i.e._ It belongs
neither to you nor to your husband, but to the Karpathy family)--"for
making so bold as to interrupt you in your occupations" (_i.e._ I should
like to know what _you_ can find to occupy yourself with, forsooth!),
"for although, of course, we ought to have waited for Squire John
Karpathy to have introduced us, in the first instance, to the wife so
worthy of his love, which is the regular course" (_i.e._ Perhaps you
don't know that: how could you?), "nevertheless, as we happened to be
passing this way" (_i.e._ Don't imagine we came here on purpose!), "and
I have a long-standing legal suit with Squire John Karpathy" (_i.e._ So,
you see, you have to thank me and our suit, for our visit; not Countess
Rudolf's kindness, as you may perhaps suppose)--"and a pretty old suit
it is by this time! for I was young, a mere child, in fact, when it
began, ha, ha!--By the way," she continued, flying off at a tangent,
"they advised us to put an end to the suit by arranging a match between
me and Karpathy. I was young then, as I have said--a mere child, ha,
ha!--but I would not entertain the idea, ha, ha! I made a mistake, no
doubt; for how rich should I not have been now, a good _partie_, eh!"
(_i.e._ Sq