he had been saying, and finally
broke down entirely.

"Shall we go and look at the stud?" said Uncle Gabor.

"With all my heart," replied Menyhert, glad to change the subject, and
speculating on the handsome curricle and four which Uncle Gabor would
give his daughter on her marriage.

"Meanwhile, I shall go and take a look at the garden," said Aunt
Zsuzsi.

"And gather pretty flowers," exclaimed Peterke, springing up.

"No, no, you little fool," said dear mamma, "you must not touch the
flowers; but you may catch as many butterflies and beetles as you
like."

Sandor seemed undecided whether he should go and look at the horses,
or undertake to gather butterflies and beetles too; and Lina waited to
see what her father would say, when the prudential Aunt Zsuzsi
interposed: "We will leave the young people together; let them amuse
themselves speaking, and get acquainted: such innocent intercourse
should never be hindered. Come away, fathers."

It was useless to oppose Aunt Zsuzsi's plans, and so the parental
society went out together, leaving the young people to get acquainted;
and the latter, seeing there was nothing else to be done, resigned
themselves to the innocent intercourse.

Linka, having recovered her presence of mind, sat quietly down to her
embroidery-table in the window; while Sandor drew himself up, and
began admiring a large oil-painting of a pretty shepherdess on the
wall opposite, the frame of which seemed to attract his particular
notice.

"You are thinking," said Lina, to begin the conversation, "that that
portrait is very like me, are you not?"

"Like you?" said Sandor; "ohoho! what an idea!"

"It has much more colour than I have."

"Oh! much more."

"And is much taller than I am."

"Oh! much taller."

Linka began to think that she had at last met some person who was
perfectly sincere. "I do not know," she continued, "why that painter
should have made me prettier than I am."

Sandor perceived that he had been giving very stupid answers, and
hastened to repair his fault. "That is to say, Miss Lina, the portrait
is not prettier than you are; on the contrary, it is uglier, for one
side of the face is larger than the other."

Lina, perceiving that the young gentleman did not understand painting
or perspective, tried another theme.

"You have lived in Pesth, and are no doubt acquainted with some of the
poets there?"

"O yes; indeed, there were several students among us who were terri