ave known you anywhere. It's a pleasant day, ain't
it?"

"Real pleasant," replied Mrs. Field. Mrs. Lowe sat down in one of the
plush chairs. To seat herself for a few minutes before announcing
dinner was, she supposed, a matter of etiquette. She held up her long
rasped chin with a curt air, and, in spite of herself, her voice also
was curt. She was too thorough a New England woman to play with any
success softening lights over the steel of her character. She
disdained to, and she was also unable to. She was not pleased to
receive these unexpected guests, and she showed it.

As soon as she thought it decently practicable, she gave a
significant look at her brother and arose. "I guess we'll walk out to
dinner now," said she, with solemn embarrassment. Mrs. Lowe had
nothing of her brother's ease of manner; indeed, she entertained a
covert scorn for it. "Daniel _can_ be dreadful smooth an' fine when
he sets out," she sometimes remarked to her daughter. The lawyer's
suave manner seemed to her downrightness to border upon affectation.
She, however, had a certain respect for it as the probable outcome of
his superior education.

She marched ahead stiffly now, and left her brother to his
flourishing seconding of her announcement. Flora and the children
received them beamingly when they entered the dining-room. Flora was
quite sure that she remembered Mrs. Maxwell, she was glad to see her,
and she was glad to see Lois, and they would please sit right "here,"
and "here." She had taken off the children's pinafores and washed
their faces, and they stood aloof in little starched and embroidered
frocks, with their cheeks pinker than ever.

Flora seated one on each side of her, as she had said. "Now, you must
be good and not tease," she whispered admonishingly, and their blue
eyes stared back at her with innocent gravity, and they folded their
small hands demurely.

Nevertheless, it was through them that the whole dignity of the meal
was lost. If they had not been present, it would have passed off with
a strong undercurrent of uneasiness and discomfort, yet with
composure. Mr. Tuxbury would have helped the guests to beefsteak, and
the rest of the family would have preferred the warmed-up veal stew.
Or had the guests looked approvingly at the stew, the scanty portion
of beefsteak would have satisfied the furthest desires of the family.
But the perfect understanding among the adults did not extend to the
two little girls. They l