er that it would only have led to embarrassment and vexation
to have had any question of an interview with a young gentleman by so
little her elder. Nor would she have known what to say to him. Old Mr.
Belamour in the dark was a very different matter, and she had probably
had an escape from much awkwardness.

Molly received her with her favourite exclamation: "Lawk, miss, and who
do you think have been here?"

"Jumbo told me, Molly."

"Ain't he a perfect pictur of a man? And such a gentleman! He gave me
a whole goolden guinea for my good care of his little sisters, and says
he: 'Their father shall hear of them, and what little ladies they be.'"

"I am glad they behaved themselves prettily."

"Yes, that they did, ma'am. It was good luck that they had not been
grubbing in their gardens as you lets 'em do, ma'am, but they was all as
clean as a whistle, a picking up horse-chestnuts under the big tree
at the corner of the bowling green, when out on the steps we sees him,
looking more like an angel than a man, in his red coat, and the goold
things on his shoulders, and out he comes! Miss Amy, she was afeard at
first: 'Be the soldiers a coming?' says she, and runs to me; but Miss
Letty, she holds out her arms, and says "It's my papa," and Miss Fay,
she stood looking without a word. Then when his Honour was in among
them: "My little sisters, my dear little sisters," says he, "don't you
know me?" and down he goes on one knee in the grass, never heeding his
beautiful white small-clothes, if you'll believe me, miss, and holds out
his arms, and gets Miss Fay into one arm, and Miss Letty into t'other,
and then Miss Amy runs up, and he kisses them all. Then miss Letty says
again 'Are you my papa from foreign parts?' and he laughs and says: 'No,
little one, I'm your brother. Did you never hear of your brother Amyas?'
and Miss Fay stood off a little and clapped her little hands, and says:
'O brother Amyas, how beautiful you are!'"

Aurelia could not help longing to know whether she had been mentioned,
but she did not like to inquire, and she was obliged to rest satisfied
with the assurance that her little girls had comported themselves like
jewels, like lambs, like darling lumps of sugar, or whatever metaphors
were suggested by the imagination of Molly, who had, apparently, usurped
the entire credit of their good manners. It was impossible to help
feeling a little aggrieved, or, maugre [in spite of--D.L.] all
inconvenient propert