he moved? She went like a swan'--

'On land' her keen ears heard somebody say under breath.

'No, not on the land; like a swan on the water; with that smooth,
gliding, noiseless movement which is the very way a true lady goes.
There was the cat lying directly in her way; Miss Gainsborough went
round her gracefully, without stopping or stumbling. The servant came
right against her with a tray full; Miss Gainsborough stood still and
waited composedly till the obstacle was removed. You could not hear her
open or shut the door; you could not hear her foot on the stairs, and
yet she went quick. And when she came back, she did not rustle and
bustle with her newspaper, but laid it nicely folded beside me, and
went back to her seat as quietly as she had left it. Young ladies, that
is good breeding in motion.'

CHAPTER XXI.

_THE COLONEL'S TOAST_.

It is just possible that the foregoing experiences did not tend to
increase Esther's popularity among her companions. She got forthwith
the name of _favourite_, the giving of which title is the consolatory
excuse to themselves of those who have done nothing to deserve favour.
However, whether she were popular or not was a matter that did not
concern Esther. She was full of the delight of learning, and bent upon
making the utmost of her new advantages. Study swallowed her up, so to
speak; at least, swallowed up all lesser considerations and attendant
circumstances. Not so far but that Esther got pleasure also from these;
she enjoyed the novelty, she enjoyed the society, even she enjoyed the
sight of so many in the large family; to the solitary girl, who had all
her life lived and worked alone, the stir and breeze and bustle of a
boarding-school were like fresh air to the lungs, or fresh soil to the
plant. Whether her new companions liked her, she did not so much as
question; in the sweetness of her own happy spirit she liked _them_,
which was the more material consideration. She liked every teacher that
had to do with her; after which, it is needless to add, that Miss
Gainsborough had none but favourers and friends in that part of her new
world. And it was so delicious to be learning; and in such a mood one
learns fast. Esther felt, when she went home at the end of the week,
that she was already a different person from the one who had left it on
Monday morning.

Christopher came for her with an old horse and a gig, which was a new
subject of interest.

'Where did you g