Rutherford, with appreciative emphasis.
"But he has always his wonderful good looks; that in itself is a
handsome fortune."

"His good looks, I confess, _I_ have never seen," answered Mrs. Thorne,
who was paying a morning visit at the eyrie. Garda was at that moment on
the eyrie's east piazza with Lucian, and the mother knew it; true,
Margaret Harold, Dr. Kirby, and Adolfo Torres were there also; but Mrs.
Thorne had no difficulty in picturing to herself the success with which
Lucian was engrossing Garda's attention.

"You've never seen them? You must be a little blind, I should think,"
said Mrs. Rutherford, pleasantly. Mrs. Rutherford was not fond of Mrs.
Thorne.

"I am blind to the mere sensuous delights of the eye," responded the
little mother, the old Puritan fire sparkling for a moment in her own
blue ones. Then she controlled herself. "I cannot admire his
expression," she explained. "His nature is a very superficial one; I am
surprised that Mrs. Harold should listen to him as she does."

"Oh, as to that," remarked Mrs. Rutherford, "he amuses her, you know;
Margaret and I are both very fond of being amused. However, we do not
complain; we find a vast deal of amusement in Gracias; it's a very funny
little place," added the northern lady, with much tranquil entertainment
in her tone, paying back with her "funny" her visitor's "sensuous."
(Mrs. Rutherford could always be trusted to pay back.)

That evening she announced to her niece, "Little Madam Thorne has
designs upon Evert."

Margaret looked up from her book. "Isn't she rather old for that sort of
thing?"

"_That_ sort of thing? Do you mean designs? Or attractions? Attraction
is not in the least a matter of age," answered Mrs. Rutherford, with
dignity. She disposed her statuesque hands upon her well-rounded arms,
and looked about the room as though Margaret were not there.

"I meant her feelings," replied Margaret, smiling. "There's such a thing
as age in feelings, isn't there?"

"Yes; and in manner and dress," said Mrs. Rutherford, accepting this
compromise. "Certainly Mrs. Thorne is a marked example of all three. I
don't think any one of _our_ family _ever_ looked so old as she does,
even at ninety! But how could you suppose I meant that she had designs
upon Evert for herself? For Garda, of course."

"Garda is very young."

"Why don't you say she's a child! That is what they all say here, I
think they say it too much. To be sure, she is only sixteen