his own; but it was a delightful sensation, and brought out the best
that was in him of wit and pure joyfulness. To Eliz the creatures of
her imagination were too real for perfect pleasure; her face was tense,
her eyes shot sparkles of light, her voice was high, for her the
entertainment of the invisible guests involved real responsibility and
effort.

'Asides are allowed, of course?' said Eliz, as if pronouncing a
debatable rule at cards.

'Of course,' said Madge, 'or we could not play.'

'It's the greatest fun,' cried Eliz, 'to hear Sir Charles telling Mr.
John Knightley about the good example that a virtuous man ought to set.
With "hands and eyes uplifted" he is explaining the duty he owes to his
Maker. It's rare to see John Knightley's face. I seated them on purpose
with only Miss Matty between them, because I knew she wouldn't
interrupt.'

Courthope saw the smile in Madge's eyes was bent upon him as she said
softly, 'You won't forget that you have Lady Catherine de Bourg at your
right hand to look after. I can see that brother Peter has got his eye
upon her, and I don't know how she would take the "seraphim" story.'

'If she begins any of her dignified impertinence here,' he answered, 'I
intend to steer her into a conversation with Charlotte, Lady G----.'

Courthope had a turkey to carve. He was fain to turn from the guests to
ask advice as to its anatomy of Madge, who was carving a ham and
assuring Mr. Woodhouse that it was 'thrice baked, exactly as Serle
would have done it.'

'Stupid!--it was apples that were baked,' whispered Eliz.

'You see,' said Madge, when she had told him how to begin upon the
turkey, 'we wondered very much what a dinner of "two full courses" might
be, and where the "corner dishes" were to be set. We did not quite
know--do you?'

'You must not have asides that are not about the people,' cried Eliz
intensely. 'Catherine Moreland's mother is talking common sense to
General Tilney and Sir Walter Eliot, and there'll be no end of a row in
a minute if you don't divert their attention.'

Eliz had more than once to call the other two to account for talking
privately adown the long table.

'What a magnificent ham!' he exclaimed. 'Do you keep pigs?'

Madge had a frank way of giving family details. 'It was once a _dear_
little pig, and we wanted to teach it to take exercise by running after
us when we went out, but the stepmother, like Bunyan, "penned it"--

'"Until at last it